


Bound Together

by Utadukeeus



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Corrupted Pacifist End, Multi, Post-Undertale Genocide Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you."
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 07:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 47
Words: 205,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13290240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utadukeeus/pseuds/Utadukeeus
Summary: This is an Undertale RP story created by me and https://skywardsister.deviantart.com/.It is an alternate universe that involves many of the canon Undertale characters in a brand new and dark story while also introducing many OCs as well. Breaking the Barrier and monsters finally able to move to the surface may not be all it's cracked up to be. In fact, some could say that the barrier was somehow keeping them safe. At least for a certain amount of time.Many new humans will be introduced to the monsters. Some may come with good intentions while others may not. New monsters will also be introduced in this series.A new enemy is coming the greet the monsters. It's not just one or two people this time. It's many people from a certain place, waiting for the barrier to be destroyed so that they could carry out their terrible plan for monster kind. What do these people want with the monsters? Who knows?





	1. Chapter 1

It was a lovely day in the Underground. Frisk woke up, slowly sitting upwards as they rubbed their eyes and looked down at their bed sheets. Yawning, they slowly pulls the blanket off of them and gets out of bed to stretch their arms. They could smell something cooking. 'I wonder what mother is making this mourning.' they thought to themselves. Slowly heading down the stairs and over into the kitchen where Toriel could be seen holding a pan in one hand while using her other hand to heat the pan from under it. "Good morning, mother." Frisk muttered. Toriel turned around and her eyes began to spark as she saw Frisk.

"Good morning, my child." Toriel said. "I'm glad you woke up a little early this morning."

"Why's that?" Frisk asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You see, I wanted to ask you to help me take care of the flowers this morning." Toriel said. "The sooner we get there, the better."

"Okay, I'll come." Frisk said.

"Thank you, my child." Toriel said while blushing. "I could use all the help I can mustard."

"You've been talking with Sans again, haven't you?" Frisk asked, cringing from the terrible joke.

"Perhaps...." Toriel whispered. "Oh, would you look at that! Pancakes are ready!"

*************************************

After enjoying a deliciously cooked meal, Frisk and Toriel gathered some seeds and a jug of water. Making their way down the hall over to where the yellow flowers bloomed under the bright sunlight. The garden had grown since Frisk had fallen down not too long ago. Frisk could even hide in it now. While slowly looking up, Frisk stares at the sunlight, knowing that it still shines brightly making the flowers bloom filled them with determination. However suddenly a large shadow got in the way of the sunlight. It got bigger and bigger until a figure finally crashed into the garden. Scaring Toriel so much, she dropped the jug of water. Frisk and Toriel leaned over to look at the figure and saw a young boy bleeding heavily. They boy turned his head, looked at them and then he coughed a lot of blood. Getting it all over his clothes.

"Oh my goodness!" Toriel yelled, rushing over quickly to the side of the fallen boy. Frisk followed behind quickly as well, moving to the other side of the boy's injured body.   
Toriel lifted the boy's torso with her arms to look closer, and Frisk glanced upwards towards the opening in Mt. Ebott, the same one which they fell from originally.   
"What could have happened?" Toriel asked, checking to see if the boy had a pulse. He did. She sighed in relief. "Let's get him inside." Toriel said. "He won't last long."

"What do I do, mom?" Frisked asked worriedly.

"It's okay, child." Toriel reassured. "Mother's got this." She hastily lifted the boy into her arms and rushed him back into the home with Frisk closely behind. She swung the door open and rested him on her comfortable sofa where she usually reads her books. Desperately running over to the kitchen to see what she can find.

"What should I do?" Frisk called in to the kitchen where Toriel searched for something to help bandage the weak child. "Can you find anything you think can help him?" Toriel called back to Frisk, desperately searching through the pantry and cabinets for something made of cloth.   
Frisk turned and sprinted down the hallway to their room to find something to help. The boy, opened his eyes to an empty room. Looking over by the fireplace, he heard loud foot steps and cabinets swinging open. "What?" he muttered. Slowly, his vision began to blur. He looked around to see everything was slowly spinning. He looked back at the fire place and collapsed. Falling unconscious again.

"Child, did you find anything?" Toriel shouted. She grabbed a rag and rushed over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a vile of rubbing alcohol. She rushed back into the room and placed her head against his chest. "Goodness, he isn't breathing!" she gasped.

"What do we do?" Frisk asked, coming back empty-handed. They couldn't find anything from their room that could serve any use for the boy, and it seemed that the situation was getting worse by the minute.  
Frisk was too young to understand what the next step would have to be, for they had never seen this happen to anyone before. Toriel began compressions with the boy's chest.

"Child!" Toriel said. "Please, take this rag, put a couple of drops on it and push it down on the boy's wound!" Frisk rushed over, grabbing the rag and bottle. They clumsily dropped the bottle of rubbing alcohol but quickly caught it. They put a couple drops on the rag and pushed against the wound with it. Frisk watched as Toriel opened his mouth and exhaled air into him.

"What are you doing?" Innocent Frisk asked.

"Its supposed to help him breathe." Toriel said. "Now hush, please. I must concentrate."

"O-okay," Frisk said quickly, going back to applying pressure to the wound on the boy's stomach. They worried about him intensely; they never knew that someone could just stop breathing, and this wound definitely made everything worse. Every now and then they looked up at Toriel to see if anything had happened. They hoped the boy would be okay, but things were looking grim.

"hey, kiddo." A familiar voice said from outside the front door. "what are you up to?" A short skeletal figure wearing a blue hoodie entered the house.

"Sans!" Toriel gasped! "Please, help us!" Sans rushed over and see that they were trying to save someone's life. 

"oh, geez!" he gasped! "a human! he don't look too good."

"Yeah, help!" Frisk said seeing their skeleton friend. Sans quickly saw what was wrong with the human child. Frisk leaned over his torso with a bloodied rag while Toriel performed CPR. Sans closed the door and rushed over hastily, thinking that he might have to use magic to help heal the boy. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one piece of monster candy. He opened it and quickly put it in the boy's mouth. "okay....." he muttered while sweating. "let's do this!" His eye began to glow a bright aqua blue as he used his magic to make the boy chew and swallow the candy. Almost immediately, the boy sat up straight. Desperately gasping for air. 

Toriel looked at the boy as her vision began to blur. "Thank goodness!" she muttered while tears trickled down her cheeks. Before the boy knew it, he was being hugged by some goat woman.

It took him a minute or two, but finally the boy said, "Huh?" He had no clue where he was, who these people around him were, why his body ached badly, or how he got here. Frisk sighed in relief and Toriel let him go and smiled in a satisfied manner. The boy's memory was quite fuzzy, and came in weak waves. He remembered feeling the rush of air past his skin. His stomach... it hurt, and his body hit a surface really hard.

"geez, kid." Sans said. "you sure know how to make an entrance."

"Sans, please." Toriel said. "Are you okay, my child? What happened?"

"Its.....a long story." the boy said. "I'm feeling pretty dizzy."

"Take your time, child." she said. 

Seeing that the boy is recovering from his wounds filled Frisk with determination. "I'm glad you're okay..." Frisk said.

Frisk offered to help Toriel care for the boy since he was still recovering, and she gladly accepted the assistance. Sans stood awkwardly, watching them as they moved.   
"you need anything you two?" He asked them as they tried to help the boy to stand.  
"I don't think so," said Toriel. "But thank you, Sans."   
"alright," he turned towards the doorway. "well, you know where I am if you need anything." Frisk nodded to him, and he left quietly. 

"Thank you all for helping me." the boy said. "I'm sorry about all the trouble I'm causing."

"You didn't cause any trouble, child." Toriel said. "Now hush, you need your energy."

"Where will he sleep, mommy?" Frisk asked.

Toriel looked down at the ground, almost disappointed with something. "You can sleep in my bed." she said. "I'll go sleep on the sofa tonight."

"Are you sure?" The boy was slightly embarrassed for causing them to worry; these people, whoever they were, were really nice, and had certainly saved his life.   
"Yes, my child," Toriel said, guiding him to her bed and tucking him in. "Now, you need your rest. I'll be out there by the fireplace if you need anything." Toriel wished him good night and quietly closed the door behind her, sending Frisk to bed as well. Then she shuffled back to her armchair and sat down for a little light reading before sleep. She thought she would fall asleep easily. But she was too worried about the boy. She closed the book and hurried upstairs, quietly to her room. She slightly opened the door to see what he was doing. Luckily the boy was facing away from the door, not seeing it open. He took off his jacket, folded it and put it on the floor beside the bed. There was a pair of pajamas already waiting for him by the bed. He slowly lifted up his shirt. Causing Toriel to widen her eyes in shock. The boy had countless scratches, bruises and scars all over his back. She shed a tear, assuming the boy didn't have the nicest parents or guardians. Toriel silently watched the boy for a moment, then closed the door quietly, standing behind it for another moment. What had happened to him? Where did he come from? How did he stumble upon the underground? Did something drive him to find this place? She turned away, knowing he needed rest. She promised herself she'd ask him some things in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Habriel woke up and looked down to where he put his clothes. He got out of bed and stretched, looking for the hole in his shirt. However, he noticed that his shirt was sewn and his clothes washed. Changing into them, he slowly walked downstairs. Looking over into the kitchen, he saw Toriel cooking scrambled eggs for Frisk. Who was waiting patiently for their meal. She turned around and smiled at him. "Good morning, child." she said. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"I really don't want to be a burden....." Habriel said. "I feel bad about causing you all so much drama."

"Nonsense, child." Toriel replied. "You needed help and we just so happened to have found you. What would you like for breakfast?"

"I guess.....I'll take an omelette." he said. "Just a cheese omelette."

"Of course!" she said smiling. "We can ask you some questions while you eat."

"Okay," Habriel responded hesitantly, taking an empty seat near Frisk at the table. Frisk munched on their scrambled eggs and waved at him, and he waved back, smiling slightly.   
"Mom makes great omelettes! I hope you like yours!" "Yeah," Habriel nodded sheepishly. He wondered why these people were being so nice to him. Toriel hummed away, preparing the child's breakfast. Toriel sat across from him at the table.

"So, what caused that?" Toriel asked, pointing out his stab wound. 

"I...." he started. "These people were chasing me, cornered me in a cave. One lifted me up in the air and stabbed me, then threw me in the hole. You know the rest of the story..."

"Why were they chasing you?" she asked. 

"I....did something they didn't like." Habriel said.

"What was it?" she pried.

The boy looked down at his plate. "They're a bunch of priests. One of them, was especially cruel. He would beat us, whip us and do....other horrible things.... I......I killed him. And I ran away." Tears started trickling down his cheeks, and he made a light sob. "They were not nice people." he concluded.

Frisk listened intently to Habriel's tale, sitting silently. They wondered how Habriel's fate led straight to them; Habriel fell into the arms of those he needed most. A family.   
Toriel watched the boy closely as well.

Utadukeeus:

"But, I always had an elder sister. Before I was sold off. She always told me things like killing was wrong." he insisted. "I don't know anymore. They were horrible people, and they wanted to hurt me." he looked at Toriel dead in her eyes. He was a very confused boy. "Am I a horrible person for that?"

"Oh, my child," Toriel moved over to him with a hand at her chest, pained.   
"Yes, killing is wrong, but you were defending yourself," She hugged him. "You did nothing wrong."  
Frisk finished their breakfast and solemnly rose from the table and placed their plate and silverware in the sink. They continued listening.

He hugged her back, tightly gripping her robes. Toriel could feel the tears rub off onto her robes. "It just.....there were more people. And I left them.... I don't know what to do. Should I go back?"

Frisk returned to their seat nearby and wished to comfort him and offer advice, but that was being covered by Toriel already. Toriel looked at the boy's face after he asked the question.  
"It's too dangerous for you to try to go back to a place like that, child. There may have been others, but you were getting hurt, and it's okay that you escaped. There's not much that you can do for them. I'm sorry."

There was a loud knock at the door. "calm down, bro." Sans' muffled voice said from outside. "you might scare 'em off."

"I CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER BROTHER!" Papyrus said. "ANOTHER HUMAN FELL INTO THE UNDERGROUND AND MUST BE GIVEN THE BEST WELCOME THEY CAN GET. AND THERE IS NO GREATER WELCOME THAN THE ONE THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN GIVE!"

"if you say so, bro." Sans said. "just don't go too crazy, remember this is tori's house. this isn't a place for numb skulls."

"UGH!" Papyrus exclaimed. "DON'T YOU EVER GET TIRED OF MAKING THOSE JOKES?"

"Oh!" Frisk stood immediately at hearing the muffled yet loud voices from outside the house. The voices were approaching the door, and Toriel nodded to Frisk, saying that they could go greet the skeleton brothers.  
"Hey guys!" Frisk opened the door as they came up to it. "HELLO, FRISK! HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE NEW HUMAN THAT FELL DOWN?" The tall skeleton greeted Frisk brightly with a wide smile and wave of the hand. 

"Of course I did, silly." Frisk said. She pointed in the kitchen. "He stayed the night with us! He's over there in the kitchen."

"EXCELLENT, I CAN'T WAIT TO GREET HIM!" Papyrus said.

"Papyrus, I don't think that's a goo-" before Toriel could finish, the tall skeleton was already in the kitchen. 

"GREETINGS HUMAN!" Papyrus shouted. They boy jumped from the chair, startled and fell to the ground. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS FORMALLY WELCOMES YOU TO THE UNDERGROUND! WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER! BROTHER AND I CAN MAKE PUZZLES...AND...AND YOU AND FRISK CAN SOLVE THEM AND-"

Habriel quickly wiped away the tears. "Good morning?"

"I SEE." Papyrus squinted. "YOU WERE SO HAPPY WITH MY WELCOME THAT YOU CRIED TEARS OF JOY! OH, I KNOW WE'RE GONNA BE GREAT FRIENDS!"

"are you sure about that, bro?" Sans said, slowly walking in the kitchen. "good to see you alive and kicking kid. you had us dead worried last night."

"Oh, its you again." Habriel said. "Its a good thing you came last night when you did. Otherwise it wouldn't be such a good mourning."

"FORGET IT!" Papyrus exclaimed. "THIS ISN'T A GOOD MORNING ANYMORE! THE LAST THING I NEED IS YET ANOTHER PERSON WITH A DULL SENSE OF HUMOR!"

"Aw, Papyrus, don't go!" Frisk groaned, being dragged by the royal guard-in-training's cape. "You've barely met him!" Papyrus groaned and turned, swinging the clinging child around. "OKAY, FRISK. I'LL STAY," He rolled his eyes at his lazy-bones brother.

Habriel slowly got up and politely bowed to Sans. "Seriously though, if it weren't for you, Frisk and Toriel. I would have bleed to death. Thank you for saving my life. I'm very grateful and hope I can repay my debt to all of you."

Sans gave a slight grin. No one has ever bowed to him before. "no worries, kid." he said. "you don't owe me anything."

"Really." Toriel insisted. "You don't owe us anything. We're happy to help."

"Lady Toriel, I know we haven't known each other for a long time. But..." he looked up at her. "My real mother would never pay attention to me. My father was always gambling and my mother was always drunk. The only person taking care of me was my sister. What I'm trying to say is that, I never had a motherly figure in my life before you. A real motherly figure. So I was wondering, can I call you mother?"

Tears welled in the goat mother's eyes, and she was touched. Her hands fluttered to her mouth and then to wipe her tears away in excitement.   
"Yes, my child! Of course you can call me 'mother!'" She hugged him once again, happy that he lived through his ordeal, and sad over the child's past experiences.

He hugged back, smiling. He had never known such kindness in life. "What happened to your sister?" Frisk asked curiously. 

"Child, please be patient." Toriel said.

"Its okay, mother." Habriel said. He turned to Frisk. "I don't remember much. She fell ill and we took her to a doctor. I think he said something like 'Stage Four Liver Cancer'. She....passed away and that's when my parents sold me."

Frisk's expression drooped at his words. So did Toriel's.   
"I'm so sorry, child..." Frisk nodded, agreeing with their mom's statement. They didn't know how to console Habriel.

"Its okay." Habriel said. "As far as I'm concerned. You, mother, Sans and Papyrus. You're my family now." he said smiling. "I think that's what she would want."

Each of them smiled at Habriel, happy to be called his family.   
Suddenly, Papyrus yanked Frisk's and Habriel's arms and lifted them up to stand by him.  
"I HAVE A GREAT IDEA! MISS TORIEL, CAN I GIVE HIM A TOUR OF THE UNDERGROUND?"   
Habriel was slightly jarred by the sudden motion, but smiled up at the bubbly skeleton.   
Toriel looked at Habriel for confirmation, and he nodded. "Sure."

"Before you leave however, child." Toriel said. "Do you like cinnamon pie, or butterscotch pie?"

"Oh, my favorite pie?" Habriel asked. "My sister used to make a very good pecan pie, that was always my favorite."

"But, you wouldn't turn your nose to cinnamon or butterscotch, would you?" she asked.

"Oh, no. Of course not." Habriel said. "I'm sure that your pies will come out as delicious."

"Well." she laughed. "It seems I can't hide much from you."

"we'll be back by the end of the day." Sans said. "see you then, tori."

"YES!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU AROUND! SANS, WHERE DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD GO FIRST?"

"Wait a second, guys." Habriel laughed. "I haven't eaten yet."


	3. Chapter 3

After Habriel had his first hearty breakfast in a long time, he set out with his newfound friends to explore more of the underground past the ruins. Sans lagged behind with his hands in his pockets, Papyrus led the way with a loud voice and extravagant gestures, and Frisk walked beside Habriel, making sure he was alright.

"How do you like it?" Frisk asked.

Habriel walking slowly, making sure Frisk can stay beside him looked around. "Its beautiful." he said. "The snow's everywhere." He looked down and saw that Frisk was a little down about something.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm sorry about prying." they said. "I shouldn't have asked you about your sister."

"You're still upset with yourself about that?" he asked. The little child nodded their head in remorse. "I think I have the perfect remedy for that."

"What's that?" Frisk asked.

"A little trick my sister taught me." he said. "It's very helpful." he reached over and grabbed a small handful of snow and waved it in front of Frisk.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. She took a couple steps back and saw Habriel giggling. She reached down, made a snowball and threw it at him, laughing.

Papyrus strode a little ways ahead of the children, not hearing their laughter over his own grand-standing about Snowdin. Sans watched the kids play a bit before walking up behind his brother and saying, "hey, bro," and pointing behind them at Frisk and Habriel, preoccupied.

"WHAT!?" Papyrus shouted. "THIS CANNOT BE! THE CHILDREN ARE ALREADY FIGHTING EACH OTHER! WHAT KIND OF MAGIC ARE THEY USING?"

"chill, bro." Sans said. "its a snowball fight, a game."

"A SNOWBALL FIGHT IS STILL A FIGHT!" Papyrus said. "CHILDREN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FIGHTING ALREADY!? WHAT IF LADY TORIEL SAW YOU LIKE THIS?"

"Oh, its not a real fight." Habriel said. "We're just having fun."

"FUN? YOU CALL VIOLENCE FUN?" Papyrus exclaimed. "YOU HUMANS ARE STRANGE, INDEED!"

"bro, it's a game." Sans shook his head and rolled his eyes at his brother's apparent ignorance.   
"OKAY, CHILDREN! LET'S CONTINUE OUR LITTLE TOUR," Papyrus called to them and they ceased their snowball fight, drooping snow from their arms and returning to the skeleton's side. Frisk winked at Habriel and both laughed. Eventually, the group reached the outskirts of Snowdin, and could clearly see the town's houses.

They followed Sans and Papyrus up to this long wooden bridge. "You're gonna love it at their house." Frisk said. "Papyrus has the coolest room."

"Can't wait to see it." Habriel said. Papyrus and Sans were already across.

"SOMETHING'S OFF, BROTHER...." Papyrus said. "I FEEL LIKE WE'RE FORGETTING SOMETHING..."

"you worry too much, bro." Sans reassured. "i'm sure its noth-" Before Sans could finish his sentence. Papyrus had stepped on a pad hidden beneath the snow. Suddenly countless axes, spiked and canons were aligned across the bridge. "oh, that's what we forgot..."

Habriel instinctively pushed Frisk over to the other side of the bridge before the traps set off. However, before he could make it across himself, the traps destroyed the bridge. 

"Oh no!" he shouted. He was quickly falling to the bottom. 

"i got ya, kid!" Sans shouted. The skeleton was falling next to him with his left eye growing a bright aqua blue. He held out his hand and grabbed onto Habriel. Not a second later, they were standing next to Papyrus and Frisk. Papyrus was hugging and comforting Frisk who was worried that Habriel wouldn't survive. 

"Saved my life again, huh Sans..." Habriel panted while the adrenaline wore off. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, kid." Sans panted.

"i thought you dismantled that puzzle, bro," Sans said, brushing off Habriel and looking up at the surprised skeleton. "I THOUGHT I'D NEED IT SOME DAY, BROTHER," Papyrus looked down at the ground in half embarrassment for the danger he put the human child in. "I'M SORRY, HUMAN."  
He gestured towards the group to hurry along, glancing this way and that in case they encountered any of his other puzzles, though they were not as dangerous.

Habriel couldn't help but laugh. "You can choose your friends and enemies, but you can't choose your family." He walked up to Frisk who was still slightly trembling. "Hey, Frisk......you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Frisk murmured as they walked, entering Snowdin. Frisk still seemed shaken from the peril of Papyrus' sudden obstacle, and remained close to Habriel, not wanting anything else bad to happen to him. Habriel appreciated that they cared for his safety, but he didn't want them to worry about him all the time.

"SAY, HUMAN." Papyrus said. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS FEEL BAD FOR PUTTING YOU IN DANGER. IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION. HOW DO YOU SAY I MAKE IT UP TO YOU BY MAKING YOU A BOWL OF MY DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI?"

"Oh no." Frisk mumbled. "Prepare yourself."

"Come now." Habriel said. "I doubt Papyrus could mess up a bowl of spaghetti."

 

"YES, I'LL MAKE YOU THE BEST BOWL OF MY SPAGHETTI WHEN WE GET TO SANS' AND MY HOUSE!"   
"Okay," Habriel said warily as they continued through the town. They reached a quaint cabin with two mailboxes out front. One of the mailboxes was stuffed full and the other was empty; Sans was too lazy to read any of the mail he received. Papyrus invited Frisk and Habriel inside, allowing them to go inside before himself and his brother.  
****************************************************************************************************

"WELL?" Papyrus asked. Carefully observing everything the human does. Habriel looked down at the spaghetti noodles and saw that the noodles were still straight as straws with sauce and cheese hastily poured on them. Habriel looked up at Papyrus.

"You know noodles need to be put in boiling water, right?" he asked.

"OF COURSE I PUT THEM IN WATER!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I GET IT FROM THE RIVER OUTSIDE." 

"bro." he called out. "i think it'd be a better idea if we all just go to grillby's instead." Sans put his head between the two. "well, we warned ya, kiddo."

"Hey, Papyrus." Habriel said. "I was wondering if I could help you cook the spaghetti."

"WELL IF YOU INSIST....I DON'T SEE WHY NOT." Papyrus said. Habriel gave a very discreet sigh of relief. 

"have fun, kid." Sans said. "frisk and I are going to grillby's."

"I'm sure with my help, we can make a good bowl of spaghetti."

"f you say so..." Sans shrugged. Habriel followed the tall skeleton into the kitchen where Papyrus immediately brought out a box of noodles. 

"Wait..." Habriel said. "Where's the stove?"

Sans and Frisk walked next to each other outside.   
"So... you think he'll be alright?" Frisk asked, barely glancing at the skeleton beside them.  
"mmm... maybe." They walked quietly to Grillby's and entered the establishment, going over and sitting on the tall stools at the bar.

"so I actually wanted to talk to you, kiddo." he said. Frisk politely sat down next to him and looked at him curiously. Grillby walked over and handed Sans a bottle of ketchup without muttering a single word. Sans took a sip and looked Frisk dead in their eye. "when are you gonna reset the timeline?" he asked.

Frisk watched as Grillby went noiselessly back into the kitchen in the back, then glanced around the restaurant to see who else was in the room. "Reset?"   
Sans inspected the ketchup bottle before absentmindedly squeezing some out into his mouth.   
"I never planned on resetting..."

"kid...You've said that before." he said. "this ending, is pretty unique. i remember every timeline.....including the one with Chara....."

Frisk looked down, as if holding her head in shame. 

"i hope that now you realize that resetting the timeline affects more than just the Underground. that kid probably experienced those horrors a dozen times and he doesn't even know it. And every time....just before he makes it here. the timeline gets reset. all i'm asking from you kid is that if you plan to do it again.....just let me know when."

Frisk watched Grillby serve customers at a nearby table.   
"I didn't really plan on resetting it..."  
They stood up from their seat and looked at Sans suspiciously.   
"Hey, why don't we check on Habriel and Papyrus? It's been a while."

Sans and Frisk walked in to see Habriel completely passed out on the couch, grumbling as if he was sick. "well, kid." Sans said. "we warned ya, and ya didn't listen."

"SANS! THANK GOODNESS YOU TWO ARE BACK!" Papyrus said. "THE HUMAN DOESN'T FEEL WELL! I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE HIM TO SEE ALPHYS!"

"give him some time, bro." Sans said. "i'm sure he'll be just fine."

"Never......eating food again....." Habriel muttered.

"what's the matter kid?" Sans asked. "did you go pasta your limit?" Habriel groaned in response. "alright kid, how about a penne for your thoughts?" Habriel groaned even louder. "hey, no need to get saucy with me."

"Please......." Habriel muttered.

"Alright, alright," Frisk laughed. "That's enough, Sans. Habriel, would you like to go back to Mom's house? We can if you want," Frisk held out their hand towards the nauseous boy, worried that he might become really sick and will need medical attention.   
"good goin', bro," Sans nudged his brother's arm with his elbow. Papyrus folded his arms quickly to move away from his brother's arm.   
"OH, COME OFF IT, SANS! I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE HUMAN!"

"I'm fine guys.....really." Habriel insisted. He slowly got up and held onto his stomach. "But I guess we could explore the rest of the Underground tomorrow."

"that sounds like the right call." Sans said. "i'll call tori." He pulled out his cellphone and dialed her number.

"This is Toriel." the goat mother said. "Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"tori, its sans." he said.

"Oh, hi!" she gasped. "How's everyone."

"not good. your son ate some of my bro's spaghetti and doesn't feel good. think its best to send him back home." he explained.

"That's terrible." Toriel said. "How bad is it? Can he walk? Is he gonna be okay? Will he make it?"

"relax, tori." Sans said. "kid just ate my bro's bad spaghetti."

"Oh, well can I speak to him?" she asked. Sans handed the phone over to Habriel. "Its for you, kid."

"Oh.....okay.." he took the phone and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"How's my child doing?" Toriel asked. 

"I'm fine, mother." he laughed. "Just not feeling too good right now. Can't wait to see you again when we're home."

"Don't worry, child." Toriel said. "I will take good care of you."


	4. Chapter 4

Sans pat Habriel on the shoulder and helped him up off the couch. Papyrus waved goodbye sadly and Frisk led him all the way back to Toriel's house, where they settled down to some hot chocolate and pie. Habriel however, wanted a glass of water. Toriel also gave him a blanket to wrap himself in. The goat mother knelt down in front of the boy and placed her palm on his forehead. "So, what did we learn today?" Toriel asked.

"Don't eat Papyrus' spaghetti?" Habriel asked. 

"Yes, but more importantly, listen to Sans." she said. 

"Yes, mother...." he said, holding his head. 

Frisk sat cross-legged on the carpet by Habriel and looked up at him.   
"Yeah, if you're ever in a situation away from home, Sans usually knows how to handle things!" They offered to show Habriel the rest of the underground the next day, perhaps this time without the skeletons.

"You're right." Habriel said. "He saved my life, I owe him that much."

"Well, I'm happy that your safe here, with me." Toriel said. "I think I'll go with you tomorrow."

"That'd be great!" Frisk exclaimed. "I haven't explored the Underground with you around" 

"But we shouldn't take too long out there." Toriel said. "I still have chores to do."

"I can't wait!" Frisk said excitedly. "You'll probably get to meet Undyne and Alphys tomorrow!"

"Who are Undyne and Alphys?" Habriel peered down at Frisk curiously.  
"You'll find out tomorrow," Frisk stated eagerly with a smile. "That's right," Toriel said. "Just rest for tonight, my child. After Papyrus' spaghetti, you might need it." She winked and patted his head, slightly messing up his hair. He chuckled and fixed it, watching as she moved back into the kitchen.

He got up with his blanket still wrapped around him and slowly walked to the front door. "Where are you going?" Frisk asked. 

"Oh, just the porch." Habriel said. "I need a little fresh air."

"Just don't go out for too long," Toriel called to him. "It's getting late, and it's pretty cold out there."  
Frisk watched as Habriel shuffled to the door and pulled it open, stepping outside with the blanket slipping down his legs and trailing at his feet. He slowly picked it up as the door closed behind him. Toriel wondered if he was alright and told Frisk to go out if he didn't return soon.

Slowly stepping outside, he took in a good whiff of the nice cool air. He went down the stairs, and down the hallway over to where the flowers were. He looked up and saw a hint of the beautiful night sky. It wasn't much, but it made him feel at peace. 

"Wow, another human!" a light pitched voice said. Habriel looked around, unable to find whoever made that sound. "Down here, mister!" the voice called out. Habriel looked down and saw a little flower with a smiling face. 

"Oh, sorry." Habriel chuckled. "I didn't expect to meet a talking flower. I'm Habriel."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Flowey!" the flower gleefully said.

Frisk walked 'round in circles near the armchair and fireplace, tracing the carpet designs with their feet in boredom.   
"I wonder what he's doing?" They asked themselves out loud, looking down at the patterns beneath their toes. Toriel worked away in the kitchen at making food for them.  
"My child, has Habriel come back yet?" "No, Mom," Frisk looked up from their idle movement.   
"Would you go out and see what he's up to?" Toriel peered from the kitchen. "Sure," Frisk called and left the house to search for the boy.

They went outside and quickly ran down the porch and through the hallway. 'There's only one place he can be.' Frisk thought. They saw Habriel at the garden, talking to Flowey.

"Oh no." they muttered. They sprinted back to the porch as fast as they could. "Mom!" she called.

Toriel stopped working and padded through the rooms to Frisk.  
"What is it, my ch-" She spotted Habriel a distance away in the garden, talking to Flowey. "My child!"   
She motioned for Frisk to stay where they were and she moved quickly and quietly to where her child was.

"But I don't really want to fight anyone down here." Habriel said. 

"Well, that's a shame." Flowey said. "Because in this world, it's kill or be killed." Multiple bullet seeds appeared, surrounding Habriel. Flowey's gentle and kind face turned menacing and terrible. "Let's practice." he said.

A ball of fire appeared and shot out behind the menacing flower, hitting him. He shrieked and the pellets shot out away from Habriel in all directions. Toriel ran up and practically stepped on Flowey's petals to reach Habriel. She glared at the flower with loathing for a moment before going to hug the scared boy.

"What's going on, mother?" the boy gasped. "One minute we were chatting, the next he tried to kill me."

"It's okay, child." Toriel said, still hugging him tightly. "Flowey was never nice. I'm sorry you learned that the hard way." Before they realized it, more bullet seeds surrounded both of them. "What!?" Toriel gasped! Flowey quickly emerged from the ground.

"You think it'd be that easy again?" Flowey laughed. "Now you're both cornered!" The seeds quickly closed in and Habriel held out a hand, bracing himself. However, the seeds never hit them. Habriel and Toriel were inside a violet bubble that appeared out of nowhere. "What!?" Flowey gasped! Toriel looked down and saw Habriel's eyes glowing violet. Habriel, just as shocked as everyone else, had no idea where it came from, and had no idea why the seeds didn't hit him.

Frisk watched from the porch in curiosity and terror. They had gone back into the kitchen and taken a frying pan and were still standing on the porch, frozen. They clutched the handle in their right hand, ready to charge in and bash Flowey over the head with it if need be.

Habriel looked up at Toriel who was just as shocked as he was. "Mother, mother what's happening?" Toriel snapped out of her trance and looked down at the confused boy. 

"I'll explain later child." she said. "For now...." she clasped her hands and balls of fire surrounded the bubble and all went flying towards Flowey.

"Darn it!" Flowey said, burrowing underground. After a couple minutes of scanning the area, Toriel put out the flames around the bubble.

"Looks like its gone." she said as the bubble disappeared. Toriel rushed Habriel back to the porch where they met up with Frisk, who leapt at them and hugged them hard.  
"Stay away from Flowey as much as possible, my child," Toriel murmured as they went back inside the house. This sentence went undisputed after Habriel's experience. It took some time for the three to relax once again.

They went back where Toriel sent Frisk to her own bed, she tucked her in and gave her a kiss before leaving and closing the door behind her. She slowly walked down stairs where Habriel was waiting by the fire. She approached him from behind and rested a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, relieved that she came when she did. "What was that?" Habriel asked. "What was that bubble?"

"I'm not quite sure, my child," Toriel said quietly as to not awaken Frisk from their sleep. "It has to do with your soul and magic. You already saw Sans and I use our magic to help you; the magic comes from the soul. We all have different types of souls, each associated with their own type of magic. Your soul is very unique. That bubble was part of your magic."

"I don't know how I did it." Habriel said, looking down at his hand. "How do you do it?"

"Why do you want to learn?" Toriel puzzlingly asked. "What would you do with it?"

"I'd..."Habriel paused. "I'd use it to protect the people I care about. You, Frisk, Sans, Papyrus. I don't want anyone like Flowey hurting you." 

Toriel's expression calmed into a soft smile. She loved him as her own; he certainly took after her in the mercy aspect.   
"Oh, of course," She said. "I can try to teach you. It will take time, though. You may have triggered it through intense emotion. For now, just don't worry about Flowey. Even without me around, Frisk even knows how to handle him." She laid her hand on his head.

"I can't wait to learn." Habriel said. "I bet you'll make a great teacher!"Toriel sat down on the sofa, pulled her glasses out of her pocket and pulled out a book.

"Funny." she said. "I always wanted to be a teacher."

"You're full of surprises." he said. "A caring mother, a potential teacher." He smiled wide. "And a great cook." he said.

"Oh, my child, don't flatter me," Toriel chuckled and looked at Habriel above the rims of her glasses.   
"Alright, let's see..." She flipped through multiple pages in the book to a certain page and stopped to look at it.   
"This seems like the right place to start."

"What does?" Habriel asked. "Does it have to do with my soul and magic?"

Toriel scanned the page and looked up at Habriel.

She continued to skim the page with squinted eyes, sometimes mouthing the words on the page to herself absentmindedly.   
"Yes, child, one moment..." She trailed off, still reading. Habriel watched her in slight apprehension.   
"Okay, we can begin here. I'll first teach you about the connection between the magic and the soul. Both monsters and humans have this."

Habriel followed her, carefully listening. "It takes the soul of every monster in the Underground to match the soul of a single human."

"That hardly seems fair." Habriel said. 

"Unfortunately, life's not fair, child." Toriel said. "The souls of most monsters cannot survive after death and will dissipate. However, a human's soul is strong enough to persist after death."

"So, a monster could possibly take advantage of that." Habriel muttered. 

"Hmm." Toriel muttered. "I remember Alphys announcing the truth about how to go through the barrier. You needed the soul of one monster and one human to pass through."

"Really?" Habriel asked.  
"Yes. But we're sort of past that, now. We don't want to harm any humans that come down here," Toriel noted as she read to him from the book. "We just remain here, living like this. But anyway, each soul, monster and human, has a certain type of power; a trait that is prominent within that person. For example, Frisk's soul is made of determination."

"What's mine?" He asked. "What makes mine unique?"

"Your soul, child. Is the color of Fairness." Toriel said. "How ironic, considering what you've been through. That hardly seems fair."

"Well, without those events, I wouldn't have met any of you." Habriel said. "I'd have probably just been neglected by my parents anyway."

Toriel thought about his life for a moment.   
"How peculiar; it's also like your soul reflects life's cause-and-effect... you experienced such trauma but now you've gotten a home right after it..."

"Are you saying that we were destined to meet?" Habriel asked.

"I'm not sure, child." she said. "Oh! I found something about the seven human wizards! Apparently, one of them had a soul of fairness, like yours!"

"What does it say about them?" he asked.

"Nothing, child." she said. "It simply lists the traits that each wizard had. Determination, Bravery, Integrity, Kindness, Justice, Patience, and Fairness." 

"Oh," Habriel said. He wondered why the book didn't list more about the wizards- he was interested to hear more about them.   
"We can always go to the library in Snowdin if you would like, my child," Toriel stated lightly. "But for now, I can read more of this to you."

"Oh, of course." Habriel said. The concept of magic being linked to the individual's unique soul fascinated him. "I'd love to hear what else it has to say."

Toriel looked over and saw a little goat boy. Fascinated at the stories she told him before he went to bed. Her eyes widened in shock. "My, child?" she gasped.

"Is something wrong, mother?" Habriel asked. Toriel snapped out of her little trance and saw Habriel again. 

"I- I'm sorry, it's nothing, Habriel." Toriel blinked a few times in disbelief. "You just reminded me of... someone I used to know, that's all. Let me tuck you in," She hurriedly said with a soft tone, leading Habriel into her room and to her bed.   
She kissed his forehead goodnight and went back to the chair by the fireplace.

Toriel skimmed a few pages, slightly sweating. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself.

****************************************************************************************************

In the middle of the night, one of the priests at the cathedral was reading all the reports on the basement. He wore white robes with red edges, an amulet with a cross, and earrings with the same crosses on them. "We made a lot of money, today." the priest said. He pulled out profiles of children and put a stamp on them saying 'Sold'. He took a deep breath and laid back on his wheel chair, only to hear his cell phone go off. 

"Hello?" the priest asked. 

"What happened?" a deep, menacing voice asked.

"You'll be satisfied to hear that he failed to escape." the priest said. "He almost got away, but we cornered him. He's bleeding to death in a cave."

"Where?" the voice asked.

"The one in the mountain nearby our cathedral." the priest said. 

"Mt. Ebott!?" the voice gasped.

"That's what its called?" the priest asked. "Yeah, sure. Whatever that mountain is called."

"Damn it!" the voice exasperated. "Of course you'd screw this up!"

"What do you mean?" the priest asked. 

"None of your concern anymore!" the voice said. "If word gets out of our activities, even down there. It could risk our entire operation!"

"Calm down." the priest said. "There's no way-" the other person hung up.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The voice on the other end was a tall man in black robes. His face was hidden behind his hood. He looked up at an assistant, waiting for her orders. "Send someone down there to fix their screw ups. They're to kill the boy and any monster he's with. I don't care how."

"As you wish." the lady bowed as she slowly made her way out the room.


	5. Chapter 5

After a nice breakfast, Toriel decided to leave with Frisk and Habriel this time. There wouldn't be as many accidents as there would be with Papyrus around. They made their way to Snowdin, on their way to the Library to see if they can learn more about Habriel's soul and magic. A couple monsters saw them enter the village and quickly whispered in each other's ears. Habriel couldn't make out what they were whispering. They saw a hooded figure talking to the other monsters.

"But do not be deceived, my friends." the hooded figure said. "He might seem young and harmless, but that's exactly what a wolf wants you to think. He believes that every single one of you are sheep and will wait for you to finally trust him and drop your guard. That's when he strikes you down, my friends. Stay ever vigilant. This criminal is somewhere here, and we humans who are aware of what happened to the barrier want to start co-existing with monsters. That means we must also help each other out in times like this, my friends. For then we-" the hooded figure looked up and saw Habriel in the crowd of monsters. "That'.......that's him!" he shouted. The hooded figure pointed at Habriel. "There's the wolf I warned you about, my friends."

"What!?" Habriel gasped as all the monsters turned around, rather menacingly. "What are you talking about?"

"You can't lie your way out of this one, wolf." the hooded figure shouted. "I beat you to it. I warned them about you before you could ever deceive them!"

"Deceive?" Habriel gasped. A couple monsters got between Habriel and his family. "No, I would never...."

"What is the meaning of this?" Toriel exclaimed. "Who are you? How dare you talk about my child like that!"

"I am but a concerned citizen, my lady." the hooded figure said. "You have already been deceived by that terrible creature."

"That 'terrible creature' is my son!" Toriel announced. 

"Do not worry, my lady." the hooded figure said. "You still have a chance and are owed and explanation. You've been taking care of a liar, a thief, and a murderer."

"No!" Toriel shouted. "He would never hurt anyone."

Sans approached Toriel, and sighed. "tori." he muttered. "i didn't want to believe it, but i know i saw it. the kid has execution points." Toriel looked down at the ground, unsure of what to do or say at this point. 

"Seize him!" the hooded figure shouted. Habriel tied to run away but he bumped into a monster in armor. "Yes, Undyne! Hold him!"

Undyne in her armor, lifted Habriel in the air and threw him into the wall. Habriel screamed in pain as he held onto his chest. Toriel saw it and gasped.

"My child!" she shouted. 

"tori...." Sans said. "i'm sorry. you've been had."

"It can't be." she muttered. 

Undyne walked over and lifted him in the air and slammed him against the wall. All Habriel could do was choke on his tears. "Please..." he said. "You have to believe me."

"Not a chance!" Undyne said. "We're not as stupid as you think we are, snake!" Undyne's words only made Habriel feel even worse. He had no idea why this was happening. All the monsters could do nothing but watch. Papyrus held Frisk by her hand and Sans patted Toriel on her back. 

"That you aren't, dear." the hooded figure said with an eerie smile. "It'll all be over soon." He held out a hand in front of him and the hand slowly began to glow. Habriel looked up and gasped as the hooded man was about to shoot him through Undyne. 

'What do I do!?' he thought. 'What do I do!?' his eyes began to glow violet. A tiny beam of blue light shot out from the hooded man's hand and went straight towards Undyne. Habriel couldn't think of anything else. He held out a hand in front of Undyne and formed a shield behind her. She however, thought he was about to attack her. As soon as he produced the shield, she materialized a spear and stabbed him with it. Everyone in the crowd went in shock. 

The blue beam of light cracked the violet shield, but it was still standing. Undyne, still holding the spear, had no idea what just happened. "I told you I wasn't stupid!" she yelled.

"Thank......goodness....." Habriel muttered as blood started streaming down from his mouth. Undyne was about to ask him what he was happy about until she heard something behind her. She saw the cracked violet shield with the blue beam slightly penetrating it. Widening her eyes in shock. She saw the hooded man's hand glow blue. She turned around and looked at Habriel in astonishment. She quickly pulled the spear out of him, not knowing what else to do. Habriel chuckled to him self as he slowly took a couple steps back and leaned his back against the wall. He was sitting down still chuckling. Undyne tuned around and saw the hooded man, quietly chuckling to himself as well. She turned around and saw Habriel had pulled an amulet with a cross, staring at it. He continued to chuckle. Slowly, tears started streaming down his cheeks and his chuckles quickly turned into sobs.

"Aliyah....." he sobbed. "I miss you, hold me....please.....make me feel better.....one last time. Don't leave me again....."

"It's good you got that wolf, my dear." the hooded man said. "I was sure he was gonna kill you."

"now, hold on just a minute." Sans said. He was hugging a sobbing Toriel. The poor lady could hardly keep herself composed with all that's happened. "that beam, came from you. and it was pointed right at undyne. from the way I see it. that, liar, thief and murderer tried to save her. which makes me wonder, who the real wolf is."

The hooded man looked down at the ground beneath his feet and smiled. He slowly clapped his hands. "I have to give credit where credit is due." he said. "Well done, my little skeleton. I was originally ordered to kill the boy and any monster around him. But fighting all of you now would be foolish. But its too late, you at least can't save him. So I at least got half the job done." 

A bunch of blue bones appeared out from the ground and surrounded the man. "and what stops me from killing you now?" Sans asked.

"Its foolish for me to fight you." the man said. "But I still have a couple things up my sleeve." The man vanished, leaving behind a tiny blue light which quickly disappeared. All the monsters turned from where the hooded man was once standing and back at Habriel.

"I'll get to see you again, Aliyah." he muttered with tears dropping from his chin, onto the amulet. Undyne could only stare at him.

"But....he....you......" she muttered. "Oh, geez! What did I do!?" she shouted while dropping to her knees.

"HABRIEL!" Frisk screamed and broke away from the crowd of monsters that had formed while the fight was happening. They skidded on their feet and stopped a few inches from the possibly dying boy, dropping to their knees before him. Frisk looked into his face with squinted, leaking eyes and couldn't get any words out. Their palms lay face-up as if in persistent disbelief. 

Toriel did not stop sobbing, and Sans comforted her as best as he could for the time being. A purple rabbit who owned the nearby shop emerged from the other monsters carrying bandages and monster food in her arms. She rushed over to Habriel and kneeled down beside Frisk.  
"Here, show me the wound, I have bandages," the rabbit breathed, preparing to pull strips of gauze from her roll. "Also, take these- they'll heal you." Frisk moved to their left a bit so the shopkeeper could work on their friend.

"This isn't good." the rabbit said. "The wound is too deep. At this rate......."

"No...." Frisk muttered. 

"I....I have an idea." a voice said. Frisk turned around and saw Undyne on her knees. "The wound is too deep for bandages and monster food. There's only one place I can think of taking him. The plan is risky, and I don't like the Hotlands. But we should take him to Dr. Alphys. She'll know what to do."

"D-Dr. Alphys?" Habriel whimpered from his spot on the ground.  
"Yeah, we talked about her before, remember?" Frisk sobbed. "She might be able to help you!" Undyne nodded and smiled at Habriel. "I'm really sorry," She said gravely, and slid her hands beneath his weak torso, lifting him up easily.   
Undyne looked over to Toriel and Sans.   
"I'm taking him to Alphys; I think she might be able to help him," the warrior called to them before turning and nodded to Frisk, telling them to come along. Toriel and Sans began to follow the three as they moved towards Hotland.

Alphys had just finished installing the updates on Mettaton, who graciously leaped off the operating table. "Thank you so much, darling."

"N....no problem, Mettaton."Alphys awkwardly muttered. "Your arms shouldn't pop out like that again." Before anything else happened. Alphys heard her phone going off on the nearby desk. She quickly picked it up and answered it. "Hello?" she said.

"Alphys! Its Undyne!" she yelled. "Quickly, unlock the door to your lab! Its kind of an emergency!"

Before Alphys could ask what was going on, Undyne hung up. Alphys quickly rushed down stairs and opened the door to see Undyne carrying an unconscious human she'd never seen before. Toriel, who was still sobbing was close behind with Sans still comforting her. 

"My goodness, what happened!?" Alphys yelled. 

"No time to explain!" Undyne said. "Remember how you would ask for monsters who fell, well I was wondering if you could do it with a human who got stabbed!"

"You know what happened to those monsters, Undyne." Alphys said. "Injecting them with Determination never ends well. Wait, this is a human! Okay, I'll try."

"Thank you so much!" Undyne said. "I really messed up here!" she said as she put Habriel on the operating table. 

"It's a good thing you brought him to me when you did." Alphys said as he grabbed the needle full of Determination. "I just looked at his soul, any longer and he'd really be a goner."

"wait, is he gonna make it?" Sans asked.

"If the Determination does what its supposed to do, then yeah." Alphys said. 

"Thank goodness." Toriel sobbed. "Hold on, child. Hold on for a little longer!"

Undyne looked back at Frisk whose face quivered in abject desperation and grief.   
"Hey, maybe you shouldn't watch, Frisk," She said, offering to take Frisk somewhere else to keep them from watching the awful scene. Frisk glanced down at the ground. Undyne held out her hand to the child.   
"Hey, we're doing everything we can, alright? Wanna go somewhere else for now?" Frisk raised their head and reluctantly took Undyne's hand. They promptly exited the lab.

Alphys took the needle and jammed it into Habriel's arm and slowly injected the Determnation. He took out the needle and took a couple steps back. After a couple seconds of dead silence, Habriel quickly opened his eyes. He instantly sat up straight, screaming in immense pain, holding onto his chest, seeing his muscles convulsing. He continued screaming and accidentally rolled off the operating table, curling up into a ball on the floor. 

"what's happening?" Sans asked.

"His body isn't used to this much Determination." Alphys said. "Right now, the body trying to adjust to it." Habriel fell unconscious again. "Hey! That's a good sign! His body didn't reject it!"

"what makes it a good sign?" Sans asked.

"He's not melting." she said. "The first person I ever saved with my theory."

"MELTING?" Toriel's eyes were the size of dinner plates. Alphys' head shot up towards Toriel's face. Toriel's eyes were puffy from her tears, and her fur was wet and unkempt from the stress. Sans stroked one of her hands in a soothing motion.   
"W-well, yes," Alphys responded quietly. Toriel almost strode over to Habriel but Sans kept her from going to him; they had to allow his body to adjust as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Sans took off his hoodie and laid it on the kid like a blanket. He'll at least have something on the cold hard floor. Alphys looked up at Sans and Toriel.

"Alphys, dear!" Mettaton called from upstairs. "What's all the commotion-?" he stopped as soon as he saw Sans hugging Toriel who stopped crying. He looked over and saw the human curled up into a ball on the floor with Sans' hoodie on him. "My oh my." Mettaton said. "What have we here?"

"Mettaton." Alphys said. "Now, might not be a good time."

"Oh, Alphys, you always get yourself in such drama!" Mettaton drawled from where he stood, but his eyes were on the form on the floor. His expression changed to that of wary concern, and he showed himself out as to not make the situation any worse. He knew his place.

Habriel grunted as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up straight, placing a hand on his face as if waking up from a coma. "What hap-" before he could finish his sentence, something hugged him tightly, with tears falling down onto him. He tried to look around to see who was hugging him, but his vision was still blurred.

It was Toriel, of course, and Sans and Alphys stood by, watching. Habriel felt the familiar robe and soft white fur, and though he couldn't quite see yet, he embraced back. His body ached all over after getting such a major wound, and he didn't understand how he was alive; he wanted badly to ask them all how they helped him, but he felt light-headed and could just keep his eyes closed.

"How are you feeling, child?" she asked. She wiped all her tears and looked down to him.

"Very....tired..." he muttered. Slowly his eyes closed, and he fell asleep again. Toriel lifted him and put him back on the operating table before kissing him on the forehead.

"Dr. Alphys...." she said.

"Y...yes?" Alphys muttered. She had no idea what Toriel was gonna say. The goat mother turned to him and gave the most heart-warming smile she could give.

"Thank you." she said.

"O-oh! You're very welcome, Toriel," Alphys stuttered at the warm expression; she always became flustered with kindness. She smiled; her experiment had worked, and saved someone's life- both at once, too. It was a happy moment for all of them.  
"Now I best take him back home," Toriel whispered, picking up Habriel and looking over at Sans.  
Sans nodded towards her and waved to the nerdy scientist, and he and Toriel left the lab. Alphys sighed, relieved.


	6. Chapter 6

All of the events couldn't stop playing back in the boy's head. Heading to the library to find out more about the human wizards. The hooded man manipulating the crowd against him. Being stabbed by Undyne as he saved her life. Bringing out one of the two gifts Aliyah has ever given him. Frisk crying over him, and everything fading to black. Toriel hugging him on the cold, hard floor, somewhere he'd never been to before. With all of these images playing, over and over again in his dreams. Habriel woke up, sitting up straight, desperately gasping for air. He looked down and saw that his stab wound had been covered with proper medical equipment. Looking around, he'd never seen a room like this before and the bed was much bigger than any of the ones he'd seen before. He struggled to crawl out of bed with his whole body being sore. He looked down and saw a pair of black sweat pants and a black t-shirt neatly folded by the side of the bed. It was a struggle to put them on, but Habriel managed to do it eventually. Trudging his feet across the floor, he made his way out of the room and closed the door behind him. After closing the door behind him, he saw a sign hanging on it reading 'Room under renovations'. He shrugged it off and went over to the front door of the house, realizing that the usual fire in the living room had been put out. He looked over to the clock which read '2:13 AM'. He slowly made his way to the kitchen and reached into the cabinet for a large glass. He filled it with water and chugged it down in seconds, not realizing how thirty he really was. He quickly reached out, filled it with more water and chugged it again. 

"Who was that man?" he mumbled to himself. "Why did he want me dead? How did he know about the Underground and the monsters?" He quickly grabbed a sponge and cleaned the large glass and put it back in the cabinet. Returning to the living room to look out the window. "I wish I could go to the library and find something, right now."

Yawning, he trudged back down the hall past the fireplace towards his room to return to sleep. Still- he wondered about the sign on the other room door. It was not there before. Habriel hovered in front of his own doorway, looking over at the sign. He walked inside his room and went to sleep.

***************************************************************************************************

Toriel sat down at the kitchen table with her two children, quiet. Frisk munched on a plate of toast while Habriel finished having a bowl of cereal. He stopped and watched Toriel. "Mom?" He asked timidly.  
"Yes, my child?" ""What is the sign on the door for?"

"Oh...." Toriel paused. "That room once belonged to someone I used to care dearly about. I was gonna do something about that room, since they won't be using it any time soon. But now that you're here, I think it'd make the perfect room for you." she took a sip of some special tea she made for herself. "Now we don't have to decide who has to sleep on the sofa every night!" she laughed.

"Haha yeah," Frisk said cheerfully. "I was worried we'd always be shuffling around!" Habriel laughed with Frisk, but secretly wondered if he could find out anything more about that person Toriel used to care about but is now not around. They finished eating and Habriel and Frisk set out to Snowdin.

On their way over to Snowdin, Sans stood outside Grillby's. Waiting for them. 

"was wonderin' when you two would show." he said. He looked up at Habriel and sighed. "listen kid." he said. "i wanna apologize about yesterday. that guy really made you out to be the scum of the underground. and when i saw that you had execution points, well, that's what got me to believe him."

"Its not like you didn't have any reason to suspect me." Habriel said. He politely bowed his head. "I accept."

"thanks kid." Sans said. "but i know it might be a little invasive but.....how did you get those points? i'm sure you can figure out what they mean, the name makes it a little obvious."

Habriel looked down at the skeleton. He saved Habriel's life multiple times already, he deserves answers. "Its not something I like to look back to....." he said. "Before I fled to Mt. Ebott. I was forced to live in a private cathedral. But that part was just a facade. It was really a prison. Kids, from around Frisk's age to mine were all the prisoners, and the 'priests' would do......things to us. One night, one of the shackles came loose. The priest pulled out a knife, I grabbed it and swiped it around, trying to get him away from me. It took me a minute to realize I'd accidentally killed him. After that, I went upstairs to where they kept all of the children's belongings, found my two gifts my sister gave me and ran. I ran far, but they chased me, all the way to the mountain. You know the rest of the story....."

"yeesh, kid. you sure know how to make us feel for ya," Sans joked slightly with a half smile, nudging Habriel on the arm with his elbow. "i get it. well, what do you both wanna do today? want me to introduce ya to more monsters?" Frisk stood by. They were up for anything; they thought that it could be Habriel's decision on what they could do today. "Yeah, what do you want to do?" Frisk inquired.

"I actually wanna do what we were supposed to yesterday." Habriel said. "I wanna know more about the wizards who made the barrier. I think a couple books from the library can help me answer a couple questions." He looked around, as if making sure no one was watching. "And I wanna find out who that man was and why he wants me dead."

"sure, kiddo," Sans said, not worrying too much about Habriel's sudden change of tone. "i'll take ya to the library." Frisk and Habriel walked beside each other behind Sans, who walked at a leisurely pace which was easy to out-walk. Frisk turned to Habriel on their stroll.   
"I'm not really sure there would be much on the man after you," They murmured as they walked. "Since he's from the surface. But we can still find out more info on the barrier."

"There's only one group of people I can think of who would want me dead." Habriel said. "But they seem to know about the Underground and the monsters. They were willing to manipulate them to make them do whatever they want. The more I can learn about the wizards, I think I'll be better with my magic. When I learn to fight with my magic. I'll return to the surface, I'll head back to where I came from and I'll save everyone I left behind."

"kid, no offense." Sans said. "that sounds like a suicide mission."

"I know." Habriel said. "But I can't live with myself, knowing all the people I left behind."

Habriel didn't see, but Frisk frowned deeply behind him. They didn't want Habriel to leave, let alone go right back up to the people who left him for dead in the first place. They desired strongly to tell him not to do so. They yearned to tell him to forget about it all, and he has a family now, and he should be happy. But they knew that they too would have wanted to go back to help the others. Frisk remained silent for the time being.

"The people still there." Habriel continued on. "These are all children who everyone abandoned. My story is just one of the countless you'll find there. I can't stand around here and complain about how I was neglected and left for dead if I do the same thing to them. I understand that its dangerous, I understand that I could very easily die. But, I can't stand around acting hypocritical, ignoring people who need me. When I go back there.....if I survive. I promise, I'll return here, more than happy to be part of the family." The boy had a goal. No words can convince him to turn from it. Sans and Frisk already knew that. The skeleton and child had one of two decisions. They could either leave Habriel now, and he'll have to continue this path by himself, or they'll do whatever they can to help him. It's a hard decision to make. 

"Well," Frisk started. They swallowed hard. "I understand you." They looked at Sans. "We'll help you do what you need." Sans nodded towards the two children solemnly. "yeah, kiddo. anything. let's just... start here," He held open the door for the two and they entered the library building.

"Thank you." Habriel said. "Both of you." Sans and the two children signed in at the front desk and spread out to different shelved of the library. It was rather simple to see who would read what since everything was color coordinated. Habriel looked around at the green books to the far right side of the library. Sans looked around at the blue books while Frisk looked at the red. 

"Hmm..." Frisk searched the shelves in front of them, sometimes taking out specific books to look at their covers. "The 'History of Determination and It's Effects on the Soul'... no... 'The Flame that Started the War'.... nope..." They couldn't find any book on the type of soul power Habriel possessed, nor a book on the wizards specifically.

They spent a good hour and a half looking for any book that has to do with the soul of fairness or on any of the seven great wizards. Unfortunately, there was no book about either of those things. Habriel was about ready to leave the library and search somewhere else. Suddenly, he felt a chilling breeze brush past his shoulders. Not too long after, he heard a voice. He couldn’t understand what it was trying to tell him.

“❄☟✋ 


	7. Chapter 7

Sans beckoned to Habriel, who hurried over, and they exited the room. Sans shoved the door closed behind the kids and shivered with his back to it. Why was that man there? Did he have something important to say to Habriel specifically? Or did he want to give Sans a message? Sans shook his head and moved away from the mysterious door towards Frisk and Habriel, ready to get out of there.

"so what happened there, kid?" Sans asked. Habriel reached into his pocket and pulled out the book the ghastly figure gave to him. 

"He gave me this book, here." he said. "Tale of Seraph the Unfallen. Ever heard of him?"

"no, not really." Sans said.

Frisk still acted wary towards Habriel, and especially towards the book in his hands. They didn't know how the ghastly figure had gotten possession of the book, but wondered also why he gave it ot Habriel. Was he trying to help them?

"I couldn't understand a word he was saying." Habriel said. "But I think if he wanted to hurt us, he would have done so." 

"we don't know for sure." Sans said. "i'm just glad we're out of there." Frisk approached Habriel, holding clinging onto his arm. 

"It's okay, Frisk." he said. "We're definitely safe now."

After that, Sans retired early to his house and greeted Papyrus's happy ranting with a sleepy manner. Habriel and Frisk ventured back through Snowdin and through the snow fields to reach Toriel's house, and went inside. There, they told her a summary of their mini adventure at the library. She was not very pleased, but happy Habriel was able to find something he needed for research.

"I know you're not happy about this." Habriel said, bowing his head. "But at least we got what we're looking for."

Toriel sighed. "That's not all I'm upset about, child." She pulled out her phone. "Sans texted me. He told me that you wanna go back there."

"What?!" Habriel's eyes widened. "Why did he do that? He didn't say he was going to-" Toriel put her hands on her hips. "My child, I really don't think you should be going back there. By Sans' description, it sounded quite dangerous and I don't want you getting hurt any more than you already have, okay?"  
Frisk went into their room to be away from the conflict; they didn't want to interfere. Habriel felt a bit of shame.

"I understand that, mother." Habriel said. "I know that you mean well. But what's stopping them from coming back? They're not just gonna try once and give up."

"I know, child." Toriel said. "But marching off to them won't make it better. You'll just get yourself killed."

"And when they get me, who's next?" Habriel asked. "You? Frisk? I can go there and stop them."

"How do you plan on stopping them, exactly?" she asked. Habriel held his head down.

"I....I don't know." he muttered.

Frisk sat on the side of their bed facing the toy box on the opposite wall, listening intently to the conversation outside their room. They worried that Habriel's quest would end horribly, but there wasn't much they could do. Habriel had a goal, and he would do anything to achieve that goal.   
Toriel suggested that she, Sans, and other monsters first teach Habriel to control the magic of his soul, and he agreed. He agreed that he would wait.

"Since you really wanna do this..." Toriel sighed. "We'll start tomorrow. For now, it's time for bed." Habriel nodded his head before hugging Toriel and rushing upstairs to change. A few minutes later, Toriel went upstairs to make sure the kids were asleep. Both were dead asleep in their own beds, Toriel sighed. 'I'm worried about him.' she thought before changing into pajamas and falling asleep herself. 

Frisk started groaning while they were sleeping. In their dream, they saw a very little boy with white hair and violet eyes talking with a tall, imposing woman she'd never seen before. 

"Who is that man?" the boy asked. "Why can't dad meet him?"

"You listen here, and listen good." the woman growled. "I don't care how badly you want them to meet. If you tell your father about him, well.....I won't be very happy about it. Do I make myself clear?" The boy swallowed his tongue.

"I still wanna tell him.." the boy said. "I think he should know." Before the boy could say anything else, the woman grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him across the room.

"You wanna be a little brat today?" the woman growled. "Fine, then it's the timeout room for you."

"No, please!" the boy whimpered. "It's dark in there, I get scared!"

"Then maybe, you should have thought about that!" the woman shouted as she roughly threw the boy into the room. The little boy tried to get up and run out of the room, but the lady slammed the door shut and locked it before he could get out.

"No!" the boy shouted. He started banging on the door, crying. "I wanna get out, please! I promise I'll be good!" The woman, unlocked the door, threw it open and shoved the boy down onto the floor. A little girl with violet hair rushed over and hugged the boy as he was choking on his tears. 

"Aliyah!" the woman snapped. "If you're father comes home, where am I?"

"At work?" the girl mumbled.

"At work!" the woman confirmed. "Make sure your brother knows to say that to." The woman slammed the door shut and locked it again before leaving the house. The little boy, still crying on the floor had no idea what to do.

"I'm afraid of the dark!" the boy sobbed. The little girl went over to a tiny hole in the wall where she could see the front of the house. She saw the woman get in the car with a man she'd never seen before. They rode off, not long after. Suddenly, there was banging. The little girl turned around and saw the boy banging on the door. "I wanna get out, mommy!" he sobbed. The little girl walked over to him and gave him a gently hug. The boy turned around and hugged back, still crying. Frisk wanted to go over and comfort the boy to, but they couldn't move. They could only watch what was happening. 

"Habriel?" the little girl muttered.

"Yeah?" the boy said, still crying.

"Remember what I said?" the girl asked. "If you're not feeling good. Just pull out the necklace I gave you, and think of me, right?"

"Yeah." the boy sobbed.

"So why don't we do that?" the girl asked. The little boy sat down, and pulled out a necklace with a cross, and stared at it for a couple seconds. He looked up at the girl who was giving him the most heart-warming smile ever. The boy wiped away his tears and stated giggling. "All better?" the girl asked.

"Yeah!" the boy said. They both sat down and tried to think of a game they could play together. Before they started playing patty cake, Frisk suddenly woke up and sat up straight in her bed. She looked over at the clock and read '11:42 PM'

Frisk realized they were sweating in their pajamas as they looked at the clock face. They sighed, realizing that the entirety of those events had been just a dream. Their heart pounded in their chest as they sat upright in their bed, messing up the sheets and covers. They fanned themselves a bit, wondering why they were sweating so much, and rolled down the covers to the foot of the bed to cool down. 

"What was that?" The child whispered out loud to their self. The dream was so sudden and extremely vivid; Frisk could see the details of the boy's necklace, the mother getting into her car, the depths of the dark room in which the mother threw her son. Then, after thinking it over, Frisk pieced the information together- the boy was Habriel, as he looked like himself, and Frisk recalled that he mentioned his sister, Aliyah, in real life. They remembered hearing about how his parents sold them.

'Wait.' they thought. 'His sister died of cancer and then they sold him. But why am I having dreams about him?' They shrugged it off and went back to sleep.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Back at the cathedral, where the priest thought about sending someone else. He was disappointed to hear that his agent failed to kill the monsters. He was quickly skimming through the report in his office when his door slowly creaked open. He turned around and saw a tall pale man with long black hair and violet eyes enter the room. He wore a large white cloak with red edges over a black suit. He also wore an amulet with a cross and a top hat. 

"Grand Elder!" the priest gasped. He jumped out of his chair and quickly bowed. "How can I help you?"

"So I heard that one of them escaped." the Grand Elder said. "You sent this man to kill them?"

"Y-yes I did, Grand Elder!" the priest said. "He failed to kill the monsters, but the boy is at least dead."

"Tell me, why did you send this man after them?" the Grand Elder asked. A hooded man with blue eyes entered the room. 

"If word spread, sir...." the priest said. "I'm sure you know what would happen if anyone finds out."

"That's the part that you don't get." the Grand Elder said. "If word spread to any authorities, you'd be right. But this is spread to the Underground."

"What makes it different, sir?" the priest asked. The Grand Elder slowly approached the the priest, until he was standing across from him at his desk. 

"I'm not surprised you don't know." the Grand Elder said. "It's perfect, maybe some monsters will come and we can actually get started."

"Sir, I don't understa-" before the priest could finish his sentence, the Grand Elder pulled out a knife and stabbed the priest in the chest. "Why?" the priest asked. "I thought you said it was a good thing."

"Oh, I'm not killing you for your performance." the Grand Elder said, smiling tranquilly. "I'm killing you for your motivation. One escapes and you send someone after them, only to attract attention? It's a good thing it's what I want. But it also shows me how incompetent you really are."

"I don't understand...." the priest said.

"The entire reason we started trafficking children in the first place was for nothing but bait." the Grand Elder said. "We knew the barrier would eventually be destroyed and in hopes, we wanted a child to eventually escape to tell them about the horrors they've seen. In response, the monsters will come and try to stop us, and we'll be waiting for them." his smile went from tranquil to slightly demonic. 

"Why?" the priest asked.

"No point in telling you, now." the Grand Elder said. "You're dead." The Grand Elder slowly pulled the knife out of the priests chest and watched as the man collapsed over the desk and crumble into a ball on the floor. The Grand Elder turned to the agent. "At least you knew what you were doing." he said. "How mad are they?"

"I'm surprised they aren't marching here already." the hooded man said.


	8. Chapter 8

The morning came rather quickly for the human children and goat mother. Frisk had dark circles under their eyes and acted lethargic, barely twitching when Toriel came in the room to wake them. Habriel slept well, but seemed solemn. He woke up on his own, quietly leaving his room and going down to the kitchen and sitting at the table. Toriel ended up carrying Frisk in her big, fluffy arms and sat them down in a chair near Habriel.

"You okay?" Habriel asked with a look of concern. "You don't look so good."

Frisk slowly turned their head to the side to look at him. "Yeah," they said. They sounded a little quiet at first, and they cleared their throat to fix it. "Just didn't sleep much. I had a weird dream."   
"You did?" Toriel asked over her shoulder as she stood over by the counter preparing toast. Frisk nodded, though Toriel couldn't see it. "It was really vivid... and I think... it was about you," They pointed at Habriel, who looked surprised.

"About me?" Habriel asked. "What about me?" Toriel put the toast in the oven and gave both Habriel and Frisk a glass of water.

"Tell us about it." Toriel said. She went over to the tea pot and pulled out her favorite brand.

"Okay," Frisk started, watching Toriel begin preparing her favorite type of tea. "Well, I saw you," They looked back at the boy next to them. "And you were in this house. You were talking to a woman you called 'mommy.' She was trying to..." they sat in thought for a moment. "...put you in a dark room? She said you needed to be punished. You then were with your sister. You pulled out a necklace." Frisk restated the dream's events hesitantly, as they didn't want to sound crazy or make Habriel recall anything bad.

"Oh, Frisk..." Habriel said. "I know what you mean. That was years ago."

Frisk held their head down. Despite trying to get him to not recall it. He did anyway. 

"Did the woman have long black hair and brown eyes?" He asked. Frisk nodded their head. "You saw my real mom." He said. "Amaliel Clemens."

Frisk lowered their eyes. They felt shameful for sharing the dream. They didn't want to remind him of his pain, but it happened anyway. "I'm sorry," they said.

"For what?" Habriel asked with a confused look. "You didn't lock me in that room."

Frisk grunted and laid their head on the table face-down. "No, I mean- for bringing up the past."   
Toriel gave them their toast and sat down across the table from them, listening to them. She did not interrupt.   
"Oh," Habriel understood.

"You don't have to be sorry." Habriel said. "It's not like you chose to have that dream. Besides, I'm actually a little glad you reminded me."

"What?" Frisk asked looking up at Habriel. "Why?"

"It reminds me of how better off I am, now." Habriel said. "No one can replace Aliyah. I hope I can be as good a sibling to you as she was to me. Lady Toriel is a much better mother than my own. No yelling, no dark rooms, no lying."

Toriel was shocked at his past mother and felt another wave of sympathy for him. "Of course not, my child," she smiled sadly at him. Frisk smiled. "And you already are an amazing sibling, Habriel!" They hugged him. Frisk felt awful over his past, glad to provide him with part of a better life and possibly better future.

"Now, my child, when you finish breakfast, we can start trying to research and train you to use your magic for defense," Toriel offered and Habriel accepted happily.

After finishing breakfast, Habriel pulled out the book he got from the ghastly figure and gave it to Toriel.

"Tale of Seraph the Unfallen?" Toriel muttered. "Hmmm, never heard of him. Let's see what he's all about." She opened the book with Habriel closely sitting by her. Listening intently while Frisk played with toys nearby. "A tale of one of the seven great wizards. Aside from pure Determination, Fairness is one of the more rare souls one can find given their unique violet color. Therefore, all humans who wear that color are...."

"Are what?" Habriel asked.

"Descendants of that wizard...." Toriel finished. She looked up at Habriel. "That explains why you can easily tap into your magic. Your ancestor was a powerful wizard. Fairness is a trait all about the balance of the world. People with this trait find it easy to learn both the benevolent and dark spells. These people, along with their magic can easily be manipulated between one side of the moral compass and the other, making them unpredictable. This also makes it nearly impossible for these people to enter their grey state as their trait isn't bound by their morals. Someone with a soul of Fairness can be a fierce opponent on the battle field. Capable of performing the most complicated and alien spells. These people however, are less likely to stay away from the battle. Thus, they won't be seen healing their allies that often as they're more useful for protection than to nurture their allies."

"That's amazing." Habriel said. "What else does it say?"

"Though the monsters think that we started a war with them out of fear. The reason is a lot more controversial. The real reason is......"

"What does it say?" Habriel asked.

"I'm not sure, child." Toriel said. "It's illegible."

"What?" Frisk put their toys down with an impatient huff. "Illegible? It's not there?"  
"No, my child, it's not..." Toriel trailed off trying to interpret the bits and pieces of the sentence.

"The only thing I can make out is that it has something to do with dead humans." Toriel said. "Can't really understand anything else."

"That's a shame..." Habriel said, lowering his head. "But, we learned something. And now, I can learn how to use my magic!"


	9. Chapter 9

Over the span of a couple weeks, Toriel spent her time caring for Habriel like normal, but also training him somewhat in the use of magic and the connections to the soul. She called on Sans to watch him for her when she stayed home, and she, Sans, and even Undyne spent time teaching him battle tactics. Frisk observed them frequently, and also dedicated time to teach Habriel good techniques in battle to avoid attacks, as approved by the others. They knew that Frisk was the master at dodging things, so they were responsible for teaching that component of battle.

Back outside of Undyne's house, Habriel arrived early with Frisk and Toriel close behind. Undyne and Sans were already waiting outside of the house. "so, kid." Sans said. "have you thought about a special attack?"

"Actually, yeah." Habriel said. "I haven't showed it to anyone yet, and it really drains me."

"well, let's see it." Sans said. Habriel motioned for everyone to stand out of the way as he faced away from everyone. Sans lifted a training dummy with magic and placed it in front of Habriel. "let's see what you can do with that."

"Oh, my special attack is for multiple people." Habriel said. "But, I'll see what I can do."He stood still, took a deep breath and his eyes began to glow violet. He charged forward, heading straight towards the dummy. Suddenly, massive bones emerged from out of the ground and headed straight for Habriel. He jumped over the bones and looked back at the dummy. However, his view was obscured by a charging Gaster Blaster. The second before the blaster fired, Habriel blinked and teleported under it. He continued to charge at it when fire appeared out of nowhere, coming straight for him. He slid across the ground, slowing himself down and formed a violet bubble around himself, making sure no fire got through. He de-materialized the bubble and panted, however he heard a crash behind him and turned around. There was a blue spear. Suddenly it began to rain spears from behind. He had to move, and fast. He kept on running towards the dummy until more bones appeared in front of the dummy again. His flung his right hand forward, as if throwing something. A violet chain broke through the bones and wrapped around the dummy. Habriel yanked the chain and the dummy came flying at him. As soon as he could reach it, he grabbed it by the neck area and slammed it into the ground, panting. 

"You're still a little slow." Undyne said. 

"Buuuut... that's okay!" Frisk broke in cheerily. "He's still learning, and he's getting better!" They gave Habriel a thumbs up.   
"That's right," Undyne chimed in, smiling. "I could tell you're getting stronger. Soon you'll be as strong as me!" Habriel chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think that'll ever happen," He said making the warrior laugh. Toriel turned towards Frisk.   
"I guess it's time for his regular agility training, my child?" The child nodded enthusiastically.

"wait." Sans said. "i wanna see what this special attack is." He pulled out a piece of monster candy and tossed it to Habriel. 

The kid caught it, teared off the wrap and swallowed the piece whole. He turned and took a deep breath. His eyes began to glow violet again. He looked ahead and suddenly a bunch of halos spawned everywhere in front of Habriel and beams of light descended onto the ground, cracking it. After each halo disappeared, angelic wings formed on Habriel's back as he started floating in the air. The wings opened and blades emerged our from the wings, landing all over the place in front of him. However, as soon as the wings dissipated, he collapsed to his knees, panting. 

Frisk ran and knelt down beside the exhausted boy, putting an arm over his back. "Hey, are you okay?" They tried to help him to stand, but they weren't sure if he had the energy to get up yet. The collapse surprised Sans and Toriel, causing slight panic. Toriel yelped, and Sans watched as Frisk moved to Habriel. Habriel nodded, shaking lightly. He sat up next to Frisk and reassured them that he was alright. 

"You might wanna back up, Frisk." Habriel said. "It's not done yet."

"Yes it i-" before Frisk could finish their sentence. The countless blades ahead of them exploded and spikes flew everywhere. One came flying straight towards Frisk, but a violet wall stopped the spike before it could even reach them. They looked down and saw Habriel holding out a hand with his eyes still glowing. 

"You okay?" Habriel panted.

Frisk released their tensed position, lowering their arms from protecting their face and torso area.  
Habriel made the bubble disappear around them and straightened, staring at Frisk apologetically.   
Frisk made a face. "Is it done now?" "Yeah." Frisk's face burned red in embarrassment and the two of them laughed at their mistake. "Now can we get on with agility training?" Frisk asked the boy, and he nodded.

"so." Sans muttered to everyone. "what do you guys think? anything you wanna point out or tell him? that special attack is pretty risky." 

"Sans!" Frisk yelled. 

"Yeah, sorry!" He yelled back. His eye began to glow blue as he made bones pop out of the ground and head towards Habriel. "Well?" He whispered to everyone around him.

Toriel took a few steps backwards, away from the action. She gasped. She feared that Sans wasn't using as much caution during training as he should; he could hurt Habriel and Frisk, he was too strong to push them further in practicing battle.  
She watched them from the sidelines with her hands over her eyes, peeking at them through the gaps between her fingers.

"You said it." Undyne said. "He shouldn't use it if he's got any of us around, and on top of that, he get's completely drained."

"He might just need that little oomph." Alphys said. "I think I'll start injecting Determination in his food like I did with Undyne."

"THAT ATTACK WAS AMAZING!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"It's a little too unstable for my liking." Toriel muttered. "He can easily hurt himself, using it."

"You've got some ways to go," Frisk added. "But you're getting faster!" They patted their friend on the back as encouragement. "Would you like to watch me? Sans can throw some attacks at me just one by one to show how you can avoid attacks coming from different directions. We can go slow," they offered.

"Sure." Habriel panted. "I could use a refresher." Sans stopped all of his attacks and smiled at Frisk.

They smiled at the boy. "Okay." they said. "Watch this."

Sans sent out bones one at a time at a slow pace so that Habriel could observe Frisk's movements. The bones seemed to fly out in slow motion, and each from a different direction, all at Frisk. Frisk leapt over one by their legs and quickly ducked over another overhead, moving to the side to avoid one coming towards their right side.

"What do you think?" Frisk asked. 

"Looks simple enough." Habriel said. "I'll try it." Sans sent the bones flying in the same order as he did with Frisk. Habriel remembered how Frisk moved and imitated her. 

"Okay, yeah, like that," Frisk watched him avoid the slow-flying bones. "You gotta be quick on your feet. Eventually, you gotta try to predict your enemy's next move." This slightly baffled Habriel, as it was nearly impossible to predict one's opponent's moves; they could have any attack lined up next in their arsenal. "Thanks, Sans! Could you continue to send out bones like that? But different ones?" Frisk asked.   
"oh, sure kiddo," Sans called, sending out more bones. They were at the same, slow speed, but came from many directions.

Habriel continued to duck, roll and pirouette as the bones continued to fly towards him. He started to notice a bit of a pattern in the attacks Sans is throwing at him. It soon became easier to dodge. 'Is this what they mean?' he thought.

"Yeah, that's it! You're doing it, Habriel!" Frisk cheered him on from the side of the mock fight. Sans continued throwing bones lazily. He was accustomed to shooting bones out willy-nilly at fast rates, but for him, this was amateur hour. "at least i'm helping the kid get better," the skeleton thought to himself.

"It's weird." Habriel said. "Out of all the things I'm learning. Dodging is by far, the hardest. I actually thought it would have been much easier."

"you'll get it, kid." Sans reassured. "you just gotta practice a little more."

"That's true, child." Toriel said. "You just have to stay determined."

"And sometimes, it can be fun!" Frisk said excitedly, jumping in front of Habriel and joining in. They avoided every bone with graceful ease, something Habriel observed in awe and admiration. Frisk pretended to be a ballerina amidst the chaos of the flying bones, making silly spins and moving on their toes.

Habriel couldn't help but giggle as he watched her continue to spin like a ballerina, making silly faces. He wanted to start spinning around himself, but he decided that it was more important to focus on the attacks. 

Toriel chuckled as she watched her children dodge the attacks and mess around with each other; to her, as long as they had each others' backs, she was happy. She was also extremely grateful to have Sans help teach Habriel battle techniques which would be difficult to teach on her own. The mother would find flinging magic fire at her own children too difficult.  
"Oh, sorry, am I distracting you?" Frisk ceased imitating a ballerina so that Habriel could focus.

"No, you're fine." Habriel laughed. "I'm just too nervous to do it, myself."

"Not like anyone would wanna see you do it, anyway." a high pitched voice said. Habriel turned around and saw Flowey, looking particularly bored. 

Frisk and Toriel gasped simultaneously, and Sans stopped the bones in midair. A hoard of bones all floated and switched their aim directly to the evil flower just meters away from the group.   
"what do you want?" Sans asked in a low voice. He did not break his gaze from the plant's little white face. The face contorted itself into a diabolical, toothy smirk, which broke into a high-pitched cackle.   
Frisk stepped in front of Habriel, who stepped right back in front of them. They decided silently to stand side by side. Toriel turned around and moved away from the small flower to the children.

"Relax, smiley trash bag." Flowey said. "I'm not here to fight, I actually wanna talk."

"About what?" Habriel growled.

"I'm here to warn ya." Flowey said. "When I was sitting around, minding my own business. I saw a rather intimidating looking march off to the ruins" The flower stuck out his tongue, playfully. 

"Why tell us?" Habriel asked.

"I wanna know what you'll do about it." Flowey said gleefully. "Will you attack him?" his face turned slightly demonic. "Will you kill him?"

"Absolutely not." Habriel said. 

"Really?" Flowey sighed. "You just don't get it. In this world, it's kill or be killed."

"Even so," Toriel interjected. "Even if he does kill, it's just self-defense. Habriel holds no qualms; my child does not kill for sport. He knows better..." She trailed off, wanting to add the words, "than you." She had her hands on her hips. Frisk kept their annoyed expression while the flower spoke. They remembered the first time they had met the plant, regretting it wholeheartedly.

"Will it be self defense this time?" Flowey asked. "Don't be dense. No matter how you sugar coat it, it's still killing." Flowey turned to Habriel this time. "No, it isn't self defense any more." he said. "You know he's there. So why not have a bit of fun? Go wild! Let off some of that steam!"

"Alright then." Habriel said. "Let's play by your rules for a second." Before the flower could do anything, Habriel threw a violet string at it, which wrapped around the flower. He yanked the string and the flower was ripped out of the ground. By the time Flowey realized what's happened, Habriel was already holding him in the air. 

"What are you doing!?" Frisk asked. 

"You're the first monster to attack me." Habriel said ignoring Frisk entirely. "I can easily find something to justify my actions. Do you get it yet?" Flowey was silent. "Do you get that there's a difference between doing it for fun and having no other choice yet?"

Flowey smirked. "Tell that to your friend there." Flowey said, looking at Frisk. "Remember that one timeline, Frisk? Good times."

Frisk's face changed between many emotions in one moment, and they turned away from Habriel, biting their lip. They didn't want to talk about it. Not to anyone. No one must hear of it. Painful memories flashed through their mind and they whimpered shamefully, trying not to be heard by Flowey.  
"Shut up." Toriel was shocked to hear her child spit these words. "Don't talk about that timeline. I didn't want that."  
They balled their hands into fists by their sides, not wanting to begin a confrontation with the nuisance Habriel was holding.

"What are you talking about?" Habriel asked. "What's a timeline? What's getting to Frisk?"

Flowey smiled and playfully stuck out his tongue. "Gee, why don't we ask Frisk?" Flowey asked. "Hey, Frisk! What's got your goat? Why don't you tell us?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Frisk snapped.

"My child!" Toriel yelped.   
"I... I really don't want to talk about it, Habriel... I'm sorry." Frisk put their face in their hands. Habriel turned to look at them, shocked. What were they talking about? What didn't Frisk want to do? He could hear them sobbing quietly behind their hands. Their shoulders shook a little. They would rather forget.

"What's the matter, Frisk?" Flowey asked. "Do you feel your sins crawling on your back? You should! We nearly had it, until you decided that it was a better idea to go after me. Luckily, smiley trash bag was there to put you in your place."

"I don't what's going on here." Habriel said. "But you're gonna stop it, right now."

"Oh, please." Flowey said. "If there's anyone to worry about, it's Frisk. Let me tell you. When they get bored, or when they snap, it isn't pretty." Flowey's face turned demonic.

"I said that's enough!" Habriel snapped as he threw Flowey back onto the ground.

"You're right!" Flowey growled. "It is! I'm tired of beating around the bush. You don't know it, but you're defending a murderer, a psychopath. There are countless timelines, and in the one before this. That little kid was curious to see what would happen if things were different. What kind of world would it be if she decided to kill. They're just as dangerous as me!" Flowey's face contorted and grew larger. "They killed everyone around us in that timeline! Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne and Sans!"

Frisk dropped to their knees, sobbing. "That can't be true!" Habriel said. "Frisk would never-"

"You idiot!" Flowey snapped. "Didn't I say it was in a different timeline? After killing me, they went ahead and reset the timeline and pretended that their rampage was only a bad dream." Frisk continued to sob. 

Toriel began to cry from where she stood.   
"That may be, Flowey, but you're talking about a Frisk of a different timeline. A different person! I don't want that! I'm glad Sans did what he did! He had every right to after what had happened! But that wasn't me!" Frisk pleaded through tears on the ground. "I'm not them." Toriel sat down and continued to weep beside Sans, who had no words.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Flowey hissed. "At the end of the day, YOU were the one who decided to pick up the knife. YOU were curious to see what would happen! There's no one to blame but YOU!" Every word stung Frisk. It was like being constantly picked at with a needle. 

"If what you say is true." Habriel said. "It's clear that Frisk understood in the end that what they were doing was wrong. They went back and did the right thing. They fixed their mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone does something they regret. And like everyone else, Frisk deserves a second chance."

"But a different timeline is a different universe! It wasn't me!" Frisk begged Habriel from their position at the dirt. They were barely listening to Flowey's words anymore, at least hoping that nobody would leave them behind. They didn't want everyone to fear them and leave them because of something unrelated to this time. It was a mistake to allow Flowey to speak. He knew too much, and would be willing to divulge anyone's darkest secrets in the blink of an eye.

"Frisk...." Habriel muttered. 

"What you said there." Flowey hissed. "You say that like you're speaking from experience. So what do you gotta hide?"

"It ain't no secret that I killed someone!" Habriel snapped. "You want the details!? I'll give you the details! For many years I was locked in that cathedral. Those priests were supposed to take care of us! You know what they did instead!?" Tears started streaming down Habriel's cheeks. "That priest had me chained up and locked in a cage! He walked in and pulled out a knife. He was gonna do a lot more than just cut me, though. He was going to RAPE me! Like he did every other night. That night, one of the shackles came loose and I grabbed the knife, and I slit that bastard's throat!"

Frisk opened their eyes wide for once. Flowey stopped talking and moved his head to the side of Habriel's body to get a look. Frisk never knew how bad Habriel had it. And they regretted everything they'd ever done a hundred times over. They wished they could've switched places with his life; they hated that they had a relatively peaceful existence. They had nothing more to say, really. There wasn't much anyone else could say.

"Do you know why he used the knife?" Habriel whimpered. "He said.....he said the blood running down my back made it feel better!" He dropped to his knees, sobbing. Everyone knew that there was more to the story than he was letting on. But they didn't realize that it was this.

Flowey had no clue who to look at now. Frisk's eyes were fully open, and they were openly sobbing, while Habriel cracked under the weight of his own story. Sans strode over silently while the children and their mother were all crying and snatched the evil flower from Habriel's shaking hands. Flowey yelled in protest, as he did not want to miss any of this action, but Sans had had enough of this. It was going too far. He gave Flowey a dead glare, eye sockets baring no pupils.

"These cuts on my back..." Habriel continued. "Each one, is one more night, one more sin." Habriel said. He turned around and lifted his jacket and shirt. There were too many cuts to count. Habriel felt the priest's sins crawling on his back.

Sans was considering multiple things to do with the flower in his hand which was biting his fingers. Frisk threw themselves at Habriel, hugging him tightly and soaking his jacket. Toriel moved over to the kids and pulled them into an embrace. Sans threatened to throw Flowey to the ground and keep him there by stepping on his stem, to which the flower freaked out in protest. Sans just wanted to eradicate this creature. 

"Wait." Habriel said. He motioned for Sans to stop.

"why not?" Sans asked, without turning around.

"Killing him will resolve nothing." Habriel said. "We'd just be lowering ourselves to his level, and show that we're no better than he is. Besides, it's not like it'll change anything." The others walked over to the kids, and they all went in for a heated embrace. Frisk and Habriel weren't the only ones who needed it, everyone else did to.

Sans stared back at the flower disdainfully. "then what should we do with 'im? He's not going to stop doing what he's doing." Habriel tried to think of a solution that could possibly get Flowey to leave them alone from then on, but it was looking like he wouldn't be willing to give up on treating them like trash. Frisk had no ideas either.

Frisk debated in their head, whether or not they should reveal it. In the end, it was time for payback. "You know what?" they said. "Since we're all revealing our dirty little secrets. Why don't you reveal some of yours, ASRIEL DREEMURR!"

"Why you little!" Flowey snapped. "You said you weren't gonna tell them!"


	10. Chapter 10

"My.... my child?" The quaking voice slapped Flowey in the face. "Why would you do these things?" Toriel felt herself on the verge of crying once more. It seemed as if the drama would just not leave her be. Frisk wore a regretful expression.   
"I'm sorry, Mom," Frisk said. "You had to find out some day."

"What a sick joke." Toriel choked. "It can't be, there's no way he's my son."

"How do I put this?" Frisk muttered. "Flowey, has what's left of Asriel in him, but he can't feel certain emotions as Flowey. Flowey can't feel love....compassion.....and selflessness. Asriel is sort of trapped in that body.....he can't control Flowey's actions. It's like two people trapped in one body, for lack of a better word."

"How long did you not know about this?" Toriel asked.

"Since......since before the barrier was destroyed. He had me promise not to tell anyone who he is."

"Why?" Toriel asked Flowey. "Why?" Tears began flooding down her cheeks. 

Sans watched them unfold almost dumbly; what could he do about this? He knew all this information the whole time as well, but didn't want to drop any hints as to not hurt Toriel either. He had no clue what to do with this kind of situation, as the truth was out, and not much could be done to fix it. Flowey glared at Frisk, who remained looking at their mother, dismayed.   
All were silent.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?" Toriel whimpered. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING!? WHY WOULD YOU DO ALL OF THIS, ASRIEL!?"

"What was I supposed to tell you?" Flowey asked. "Hey mom! It's me! Your dead son! By the way, I'm a flower now!"

Frisk grimaced. "Well, you could approach non-threateningly, for starters," they mumbled bitingly beneath their breath beside Flowey. He heard the comment and snapped his head towards them for a moment, then reasserted his attention on his devastated mother. His emotions were confused; he didn't want to feel it, but he felt muted dismay.

"What a sick joke...." Toriel cried, hiding her face in her palms. "My son, all this time, was you...." The other monsters didn't know what to do. Habriel got up and hugged Toriel and gently pet her head. Frisk hugged Toriel from under and gently patted her back. The lady could only take so much before finally breaking. All sorts of emotions welled up in the goat lady. Joy that her son can be saved, sadness that her son became Flowey, anger that this truth was kept hidden from her for so long, guilt for all of the times she'd attacked the flower without hesitation. All of these emotions built up and broke out of her eyes.

Sans stepped towards the pitiful plant once more. The urge to call him a 'weed' ground behind his teeth, but died away momentarily as he knew it would do no good; there was enough said already. He just hoped that he could help set things right between the family and quell Flowey's need to hurt others in the long run. 

"Not to rub salt on the wound, but...." Alphys stuttered. "w-we still have the man back at the ruins to worry about." Habriel got up and looked at Alphys dead in the eyes.

"Oh, don't you worry." Habriel said. "I'll take care of him, and maybe get some answers." He held out his hand and clenched his fist as violet electricity scattered all around his hand. 

"you aren't gonna kill 'em, are ya kid?" Sans asked, unsure of what the kid was thinking.

"I don't plan to." Habriel said. "But I sure as Hell won't be gentle." 

Frisk called out to Habriel and moved out from behind their depressed mother. "Hey, wait!"  
Habriel stopped and turned around to look at Frisk. "If you're going to do that, why don't I come with? Or at least don't go alone!" "yeah, i can keep ya out of trouble, kiddo." Sans offered.

"I don't know...." Habriel said. "If any of you get hurt...."

"kid, if you go out there by yourself and get killed...." Sans said. "toriel have our heads."

Habriel paused and giggled at the pun. "You're right." he said, smiling. "Anyone who wants to come with me, give me a thumbs up." He held his right hand up and gave a thumbs up, waiting for everyone's response.

Frisk and Sans looked at each other uneasily. Sans nodded his head back towards Toriel, distraught, and Frisk shrugged, looked at Habriel, and nodded. Without communication, they came to a decision.   
"the kid's gonna stay behind with tori," Sans stated decidedly on the matter. "i'm a little more experienced. i'll come with ya." Frisk slowly walked back to Toriel, wrapping themselves in her arms again to comfort her.

Sans held his hand out and gave a thumbs up. Habriel heard someone clearing their throat and saw Undyne giving a thumbs up, as well. 

"What, you think I'm just gonna let you two go?" Undyne asked. "You'll need me!"

"Thanks Sans....and Undyne." Habriel sad. He waved his arm, motioning them to follow him. "Let's go."

"Be careful, my child." Toriel muttered. Habriel didn't hear her....

Frisk waved goodbye to them as they left the area to go search for the cloaked man in town. Frisk held on to their mother. By now, Flowey had disappeared into the depths of the soil beneath the flower garden his mother had taken so much time to care for. 

The three fighters made it back to the ruins, after boat ride and a short hike through Snowdin. "Here we are." Habriel said. He slowly opened the stone doors, making his way in. "Wait.." he said as soon as he entered. He looked down the hallway, the place was dimly lit, but he could make out something was off. He soon realized what was hidden in the shadows. "Dust..." he said.

Sans stepped in front of Habriel and bent down to look at the small pile of dust that sat on the ground. He shivered. The man Habriel was looking for must be there, or had been there previously. He warned Habriel and Undyne to be careful and to watch for movement. The man could be watching them, and they wouldn't know.  
Undyne strode beside the boy with a spear in hand, ready to defend him if need be.

"Well well....." a deep voice said. "Never thought you'd still be alive." Everyone tensed up as they saw a figure approach them from the other side of the hallway. "I'll be damned. This is just one big reunion of old friends...." the figure stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself to be the hooded man who tried to kill Habriel earlier. "Isn't that right?"

"What are you doing here?" Habriel barked. 

"I came back here to find your body." the man said. "I want your soul."

"Why?" Habriel growled.

"Boy, what am I supposed to do?" the man said. "Reveal my master plan? No, I won't. Besides, when I'm done here, you'll find out anyway." Undyne took a couple steps in front of Habriel. "Careful, lady." the man said. "You wanna watch where you point that thing, you might hurt him again."

"Shut up!" Undyne snapped. "You're dead!"

"Then again, given the boy's history...." the hooded man said. "It wouldn't be the first thing that stuck in 'em." Without warning, Habriel waved his hand and shot a beam of violet light at the man. However the hooded man saw it coming and formed a blue shield to protect himself. "

"Shut up!" Habriel shouted.

"What's the matter, boy?" the hooded man smiled. "I thought you liked playing with toys...." Habriel jumped in front of Undyne with his eyes glowing.

"I said shut up!" he shouted.

"Gotcha...." the hooded man said. He lifted his hand and a long blue arm reached out from the sleeves and grabbed Habriel by the throat. Before anyone could do anything the man pulled the arm back and Habriel went flying towards the man, Habriel flew in the air towards him. The hooded man punched Habriel in the mouth, knocking him on his back. Habriel screamed in pain as Sans and Undyne tried to rush over. However, the hooded man formed a blue wall, blocking their way. 

"kid!" Sans shouted.

"Don't worry." The hooded man. "The boy and I just have some catching up to do." he knelt down to the boy covering his bloody mouth. "Ain't that right, Habriel?"

"Screw you!" Habriel spat blood into the man's face. The man went to wipe it off, but Habriel grabbed his feet and swept them off the floor. The man fell on his back and looked up to see Habriel running out of the hallway and into Toriel's house. 

The man got up and reached into his cloak and pulled out a gun. "Could have done this the easy way." the man said as he flipped the safety and cocked it. He looked over at Sans and Undyne, who couldn't get past the wall. "Don't worry." he said. "You'll get him back."

Undyne pounded on the wall as hard as she could. It wasn't budging though.

"Not sure if you'll recognize him, though." the hooded man smiled and walked down the hallway towards Toriel's house.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flowey burrowed his way down, away from the garden and in front of Toriel's house. 'What's taking them so long!?' Flowey thought. 'There should be-' before he could finish his sentence, he saw Habriel burst through the front doors of the house and a hooded man behind him, shooting at him. Habriel ran in zigzags away from the house and towards the bridge puzzle. The hooded man took one final shot and Flowey heard Habriel scream. He turned and saw Habriel running down the hallway, with one hand on his shoulder. The hooded man, paying no attention to him, moved on after Habriel. He stood still and lined up the perfect shot to take out Habriel, but when he pulled the trigger, the gun simply clicked. 

"Hmmm.....guess I got a little too excited." the man said. "Just means I have to do this the ol' fashion way..." The man tossed the gun to the side, reached into his cloak and pulled out a machete. He slowly made his way down the hallway, after the boy. 

'Not even paying attention to me!?' Flowey thought. 'Alright, then.' He burrowed his way underground, on his way back to Undyne's.

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Habriel limped over to where a bridge puzzle was supposed to be, but instead all he saw were scraps of metal floating along the river.

"I'm not a patient man, boy!" the hooded man shouted from behind. "So why even bother running?" Habriel jumped into the water and swam across as quickly as possible, letting go of the wound, there was a large trail of blood in the water. He reached to the other side and pulled himself up, leaving bloody hand prints on the ground as he got up and continued to limp away. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frisk, still hugging Toriel bounced up when they saw Flowey pop up in front of them again.

"What are you doing?" Frisk asked. 

"Look, there's not much time..." Flowey sighed. "And don't think I'm doing this because I care, I don't. That guy had the nerve to ignore me, so I'm getting payback."

"What's going on?" Frisk asked.

"If either of you are good at healing, I suggest you run over there now." Flowey said. "Habriel's been shot."

"What!?" Toriel gasped.

"Did I stutter?" Flowey asked. "The man in your home, trapped Sans and Undyne, pulled out a gun and shot Habriel. He's alive, but limping away into a corner." Before Toriel and Frisk cold say anything else, the flower burrowed back underground on his way back to Undyne and Sans.

Flowey erupted from the ground before Undyne's feet, making her jump  
"Hey, you may wanna hurry, ol' Cloaky's gained ground on the kid," Flowey warned sarcastically. 

Habriel limped down the corridor and into the flower garden. He stopped to catch his breath but he heard loud footsteps coming from behind. He turned and saw the hooded man right behind him swinging the machete at him. Habriel raised a hand and formed a violet shield around him. The hooded man, laughing started making the blade glow blue, it soon started to slowly eat away at the shield. Habriel could feel his strength slowly drain away, he soon got too tired to keep the shield raised. The shield gave out and Habriel jumped back and landed on his back, trying to crawl away. The hooded man quickly caught up to him and shot a beam of blue light at the bullet wound. Causing Habriel to collapse.

"You know, boy..." he said. "This little game of yours, is getting real old, REAL QUICK!" He stomped on Habriel's right knee, causing a popping sound, Habriel couldn't believe the amount of pain coming from it. He couldn't even scream, it was so painful. "At least you won't be running anymore..." The man knelt down, holding the machete up to Habriel's face. "As I said, kid. I'm not really a patient man.....but for you..." he gave the most demonic smile Habriel's ever seen. Not even Flowey's most threatening face could compare. "I'll make an exception!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Flowey burrowed back into the ground, both Frisk and Toriel got up and sprinted back to the ruins, hoping to get there before something terrible happens. "Not again...." Toriel panted while running with Frisk close behind. "Not again. Not again. Not again!" she continued to pant as tears welled up in her eyes.

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The hooded man stuck the machete in Habriel's mouth and slowly pulled it out, slowly cutting his tongue. Habriel, too scared to move, worried that if he does, the man might kill him. 

"You boy..." the hooded man said. "are just like me...."

"No!" Habriel snapped. "I'm not like you at all!"

"Are you sure?" he asked as he kicked Habriel in the gut. "You, like me, are a murderer. You came into our shelter and we provided you what you needed. A home, food and clothing."

"You call that prison a home?" Habriel asked. 

"Nothing's perfect, boy." the hooded man said. "That man, in charge of taking care of you, provided everything you needed. You couldn't so much as give him something he wants? No, you kill him and run away."

"Screw you!" Habriel spat. "Screw you and your twisted logic. You didn't have to hold me like a prisoner, you didn't have to do all those other things! That's not how you take care of a child! So why? Why do you do it?"

"That's a reason I can't disclose, boy." the hooded man said. "These monsters, boy. Are made of Compassion. If they so much as hurt a fly, they'll cry about it for a week. You think they'll ever accept people like you in? After you just go ahead and kill someone?"

"SHUT UP!" Habriel shouted. The man kicked him in the face and Habriel cried. 

"Let's prove you wrong." the hooded man said. "If they care about you so much, why aren't they here saving you? They don't care. Go on, cry for help." Habriel started to whimper and sulk. "Someone!" the hooded man said. "Anyone! Help" he held a hand out by his ear. "But nobody came...."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Frisk, my child." Toriel said. "Go back to Dr. Alphys. It won't be safe for you there."

"But mom-" Frisk said.

"Child, please..." Toriel said. "Do it for me." Frisk nodded her head, turned around and ran back to Undyne's house. Toriel made it back to the ruins and saw Undyne and Sans struggling to get past a blue wall of light. 

"What's going on?" Toriel asked as she approached them. 

"nothing good, tori!" Sans said. "guy trapped Habriel, i can't teleport past this wall. he pulled out a gun!"

It took the combined effort of Sans', Undyne's and Toriel's attacks to finally break down the shield. They ran upstairs through her home and down the hallway. Undyne spotted something while they were running. "Look!" she pointed. There were drops of blood and bloody hand prints on the walls. It went further on until they went over to a pool of red water. 

"My child..." Toriel gasped with tears running down her eyes. 

"here, grab on to me." Sans said. Undyne and Toriel grabbed one hand each and Sans teleported to the other side of the pool and they continued running. They kept on going, faster and faster until they saw the hooded man looming over the boy, machete in hand. 

A ball of flames appeared and hit the man in the back, causing him to dash away from the boy on the ground. Flowey had gone to Undyne's house and told Toriel what was happening, and she had come to stop this man. Frisk remained at Undyne's house under their mother's orders. The man whipped around to see a furious goat woman in purple robes standing near Habriel.  
"How could a monster like you torture such a poor, innocent youth?!" She reared up to send more fire. Undyne and Sans ran up to the group as well, prepared to fight.

The man turned around to look at who attacked. Him, he knelt down, started giggling, then slapped his knee and started laughing hysterically as he took a couple steps back. "Seriously!?" he laughed. "You!?" he continued to laugh. "Being called a monster by a monster!" he continued to laugh. "Him? Innocent? Lady, he's had more action than all of us combined!" he laughed hysterically. 

"You're wrong," Toriel gritted her teeth. "He did what he had to do to live!" She bore her teeth at him, flaming orbs forming in her upturned, open palms. Sans held a bunch of bones in hand, ready to send them flying at the man's head. Undyne stood taut with her spear raised at her side. 

"What are you talking about?" The man said. "Killing? I wan't referring to that...I was referring to something else." He clicked his teeth and winked an eye. Toriel realized what the man was referring to. She was ready to engulf the man in flames for making fun of Habriel being raped. She raised her arm but paused as the man grabbed Habriel by the hair and raised his machete. "Now now..." the man said. "We don't wanna be reckless, now do we?"

Toriel quickly lowered her arms, but the fire still burned beneath her palms.   
"let go of the kid," Sans commanded. "you have no idea what you're about to get yourself into." He threatened the man, but the man's expression did not waver; he did not believe that the small skeleton could possibly put up a fight let alone take him down. Undyne snarled at the situation. They were stuck.

Meanwhile, Alphys caught wind of the intense action and decide to go over to Undyne's house to accompany Frisk while they waited for some type of signal that things were safe and they could return home. 

Habriel looked up at the man with deep resentment. He lifted a finger and a violet beam of light shot up from the ground and knocked the machete out of the man's hand. 

"Why you little-" the man said. Before he finished, Habriel lifted his finger and another violet beam struck him in the throat. The man fell back down and reached for his machete, Habriel took that opportunity to roll away. He turned around to face the man and lifted a hand in the air, glowing violet. The man got up and raised his machete. However, Habriel shot the spell coming from his hand. Causing the man to fly back into the wall and Habriel to slide across the ground towards the monsters. 

Sans wasted no time. He summoned a Gaster blaster and shot a gigantic beam at the hooded man. The hooded man, formed a blue shield around himself, soaking most of the attack.

"You think it'll be that easy?" the man said, raising a machete. "You're gonna have to try a little harder than that!"

Toriel formed large cross-sections of fire that swept across to envelope the man, but this attack also was futile against the blue shield surrounding his body. She sent fireballs flying wildly towards the man, making sure to avoid her son. Sans continued to form Gaster Blasters to shoot the man's shield with; he thought that with enough force, perhaps they could crack it.   
Undyne rained sharpened blue spears from above the man in a line. So far, the man smirked as he stood inside his seemingly impenetrable shield.

They continued to hit the shield with everything they got. Unaware of the fact that the hooded man teleported behind them, smiling he lifted his machete, ready to finish one of them off. Habriel turned around saw this and teleported behind Toriel before he slashed her across her back. He took the blow for her. The man slashed Habriel across the chest. 

Toriel screamed, careening around Habriel's body and slashing the man's torso with her claws. He stumbled backwards. Undyne pulled Habriel off to the side away from the fight and held his body in her arms. She tried to determine how long he had before he passed out or worse with difficulty, glancing up and back down every minute to check to see if they were still safe for the moment. Sans shot a stream of bones out at the man, trapping him in a cage-like structure, allowing them to attack easier.

The man raised his machete and sliced the bones into pieces. Toriel threw countless balls of fire, but he raised his arm. A blue arm came out of his sleeve and pushed her back into a wall. Sans used another Gaster blaster but the man teleported away from the beam and in front of Habriel and Undyne. 

'Now for the climax...' the hooded man thought. Just before the man swung his machete. A violet beam of light pierced through his chest and heart, coming from Habriel, almost unconscious. Everyone paused as the man started laughing and coughing blood as he took a couple steps back. He dropped to his knees. "All this time I was laughing...." he said. "and the joke....was.....on me......." The man fell back, unresponsive. Habriel's LOVE has increased. 

They all watched the man fall limp on the ground silently, frozen. Was it all over? Or had this merely been a messenger for someone else who was after Habriel, too? Undyne carried Habriel's body over towards Toriel and Sans, and Toriel fell to the ground in exhaustion. She shuffled over to his body sluggishly; she didn't have much energy to spare from the battle. Sans also came over with materials to help heal her son. Undyne stood by them, still paranoid of their surroundings. She half expected more people to come out and attack them; she was still high on the adrenaline rush. She panted and glanced around the decimated flower garden.

"I'm sorry....everyone..." Habriel muttered. "I failed...again....to be with all of you....I'm not worthy...."

"No, no, my child, we are not worthy," Toriel said softly, propping his head and shoulders up on her knees. "We are not worthy to have someone as merciful and as kind as you in our lives... and it will be okay, I promise..." She kissed his forehead, trying not to get tears in his hair. Sans began to use magic to try to heal his major wound as he became limp in his mother's lap. Undyne wanted to look away; hot tears rose up in her eyes against her better judgement, and she clenched her fists hard as she watched them.


	11. Chapter 11

"Sans..." Toriel said. "What are we looking at?"

"kid was shot in the shoulder." he said. "bullet's still in there. we've also got a broken leg. he lost a lot of blood, tori...."

"Is he gonna?" Toriel gasped.

"no." he said. "we just need alphys to inject more DT in 'em."

The band of exhausted monsters and human trudged all the way through the underground to Undyne's house, where they explained everything that had happened with the man to Alphys and Frisk, who were horrified to see the shape they all were in as they entered. Frisk wanted to hug Toriel and Habriel, but knew that now was not the appropriate time; they needed to heal badly, so they decided not to get in the way.

They brought him inside Undyne's room where Alphys pulled out a syringe of Determination. Just like last time, the muscles started convulsing, but this time, Habriel wasn't in as much pain as before. After a minute or two, he sat up straight on the bed. Alphys grabbed a pair of tongs and told him to stay still as she would pull out the bullet. 

"Where am I?" He asked when she pulled it out. 

"Undyne's..." Alphys said wrapping the wounds with medical tape. "Everyone's waiting for you, outside."

"Can I go see them?" Habriel asked.

"Hold on." Alphys said. "You shouldn't get up and move, right now. I'll go out and tell everyone, and they can come in to see you." She finished wrapping the medical tape and walked out to where everyone's waiting.

"How is he?" Sans asked.

"Increasing his LV also increased his health." Alphys said. "If it weren't for that, he'd have bleed to death by the time he got here." She held the door to the room open. "He's awake, now." She said. "Anyone who wants to see him can come in."

Frisk came inside, and then Toriel, one after the other. They hugged him and told him how much they loved him, and how much he meant to them. They didn't want him to begin to believe the words of his pursuer. He was strong and this was his family.   
Sans tried to reassure Habriel that he was safe. Alphys watched them gather around him in the background, and Undyne put an arm on her shoulder and gave her a smile.

If anything, Alphys was helping to keep the child alive and strengthening him in case he had to fight more in the future. She worried that his body and soul would eventually depend on determination, and/or that there would be some kind of drawback side-effects. She pledged that she would continue to research about it behind-the-scenes as to not make anyone worry.

Each monster saw Habriel slowly walk out of the room with a bottle of water in his hand. "Finally..." he said. "I was tired of laying in that bed..."

"Hey." Undyne said. "I'm heading out to the market, wanna come with?"

"Sure." Habriel said.

Toriel almost didn't want to see him go, but didn't voice her opinions. She took Frisk's hand and they worked their way back to her house from Undyne's. Alphys departed to her lab to continue her research and to binge some anime, and Sans strolled into Snowdin to Grillby's to lounge around.

Undyne went over to the shop owned by the turtle just nearby her house. "What're we looking for?" Habriel asked. 

"Just some more food." Undyne said. "Fridge's almost empty." A couple imposing fish monsters walked into the store before them. "Hold on..." Undyne said. "They're part of that one guy's gang..."

"What guy?" Habriel asked.

"No one." Undyne said. "Let's get in there. If they cause any trouble, I'll get 'em." They entered the store and saw one of the thugs pull out a knife and stick it into the counter of the turtle monster. 

"Please!" the turtle monster begged. "Sales have been going bad this week. Please, just give me a couple days."

"You told the same story last week." the thug said. "Gettin' real tired of the croc tears." A hooded figure who was already in the store approached them. He had a long, black trench coat with green edges and had a hoodie underneath. A black hood was pulled up over it. The figure also had black pants and black boots, standing at the same height as Papyrus. 

"Hey." the figure said. "The old man said, he'd get you your money. What's the problem?"

One of the thugs turned around with a sinister smile. "And who are you?" the thug asked. 

"Kaizer." the figure said. "I'm a royal sentry who patrols the Waterfall whenever lady Undyne is off duty."

"Royal sentry, eh?" the other thug pulled the knife out of the counter. "Aren'tchu supposed to be hunting humans?"

"No point." Kaizer said. "Barrier's destroyed. Which brings me to my next topic. You and the rest of your gang can move out of the Underground, you can start a new life. Make something out of yourselves, so why not?"

"What we do ain't none of your business!" one of the thugs snapped. 

"Why don't I rephrase myself.." Kaizer said. "Leave...now..." the sudden change of tone in the voice sent shivers down Habriel's spine. It was much darker and much more intimidating. 

"Now see, why'd you have to go and say that?" the thug with the knife said. "MAKES MY JOB EASIER!" the thug swung the knife at Kaizer. However, Kaizer grabbed the thug by the arm. Habriel took a close look at the hand and saw that Kaizer was a skeleton monster. Before the thug could do anything, Kaizer flipped him in the air and slammed him into the ground with one hand. The other thug charged towards him. Kaizer turned around and revealed his skeletal face from the shadows of his hood. His eyes glowed a bright green. He held a hand in the air and a giant, green, skeletal hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the thug and threw him out of the store. The other thug got up, and Kaizer had a bunch of bones stick out of the ground, knocking the other thug out of the store, through the entrance and knocking him into the thug who was already thrown out. The two thugs got up and Kaizer was already out of the store, facing them with his eyes still glowing. Instead of fighting, the two thugs ran away, and Kaizer's eyes stopped glowing. Now, all could be seen were the shadows of the eye sockets. Kaizer walked back into the store and approached the store clerk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Gold and handed it to the turtle. 

"One crab apple, please." he asked. The turtle reached under the counter and gave the skeleton what he wanted. "Thanks." said Kaizer.

"Thanks, Mom," Frisk smiled as Toriel handed them a mug of hot cocoa and settled down in her armchair.   
Toriel nodded and smiled gently, slipping on her reading glasses and pulling out her book on snail facts. They had just recently arrived home after Habriel and Undyne left to go shopping. It was against her better judgement to allow Habriel to go anywhere without her, and it was even worse that he had almost gotten himself killed in that battle. 'Next time he's hurt,' she thought to herself, 'he isn't allowed to go anywhere but home.' 

Sans slouched on a stool by the bar, sipping a bottle of ketchup as normal. Grillby sighed and retreated into the kitchen to retrieve his next customer's meal. This place relaxed Sans. He needed to wind down after a hectic brush with death, and nothing did him better than a nice helping of his favorite condiment. Of course, his brother would be worrying by now about him and why he didn't come home, and he was in for a variation of his usual lecture. 

"Kaizer!" Undyne said. "It's been a while! How've you been?"

"Hey, Undyne..." Kaizer said. "Pretty good."

"So, what're you up to?" Undyne asked, approaching him. 

"I actually have to deliver this letter to you." he said, pulling a note out from his coat. It had Kind Asgore's official stamp on it. "He wants you to report to him, as soon as possible."

"Okay, sure..." Undyne said. "Here's the thing, though. I've got a human kid with me. I don't think his mom'll appreciate it if I leave him alone in my house, could you escort him back?"

"Where's his house?" Kaizer asked.

"You know the ruins outside of Snowdin?" Undyne asked. "The place Sans goes to hide from Papyrus?"

"Yeah..." he said. "Alright, I'll get him home." He motioned for Habriel to follow him by waving his arm. The boy stepped out from behind Undyne and walked alongside the skeleton. He held out a hand and Habriel shook the hand. "Hold on." Kaizer said. A flash of a bright green light came out of the skeleton and when Habriel blinked, they were in the middle of the woods nearby Snowdin.

"Wow!" Habriel gasped. "I can't teleport nearly this far! How do you do it?"

"Practice." Kaizer said as he motioned for Habriel to follow him.

"So you're a royal sentry?" Habriel asked.

"Yup." Kaizer said.

"A skeleton to?" Habriel trudged along the snow.

"Yup."

"I know a couple skeletons who are also royal sentries." Habriel said.

"Cool."

"Know Sans and Papyrus?" Habriel asked.

"Never met them, only heard of them." Kaizer said.

"You're not the talkative type, are you?" Habriel sighed.

"Nope..." Kaizer mumbled. They made it to the door to the ruins. "Should we knock?" Kaizer asked.

"No, don't think they'll hear us." Habriel said. He pulled out his cell phone and called Toriel who answered after the first ring.

"This is Toriel." she said in a light voice. "Who am I speaking to?"

"Hey mom!" Habriel said.

"Oh, Habriel!" she gasped. "How're you doing, my child?"

"I'm just calling to let you know, I'm outside." he said. "Doors are closed."

"Oh, okay." she said. "Let me get that for you." After a couple minutes of waiting, the large stone doors slowly cracked open with Toriel on the other side. She looked over and saw Kaizer with Habriel. "Who is this?" she asked.

"I'm Kaizer." he mumbled.

"He's a royal sentry!" Habriel said. "Undyne had to report to the King, so she had him escort me home!"

"Oh, I see," Toriel responded, taking Habriel's hand and letting him inside. "Well thank you very much, Kaizer, for making sure he got home safely." She smiled and waved goodbye and closed the large doors behind them. Kaizer turned around and teleported back near Waterfall, wondering how Undyne and the king were doing.

"So, how was your shopping trip with Undyne?" Toriel asked, slowly leading Habriel back to her house.

"You should have been there, mom!" Habriel said. "It was amazing! These two thugs, they walked in the store and one of them pulled out a knife on the turtle guy. That's when Kaizer stepped in. He tried to convince them to leave but they attacked. He beat them up, really good. He raised his arm like this!" Habriel said lifting his arm. "And a giant, green, boney hand appeared, grabbed one of them and threw them out of the store! The other tried to stab him, but he grabbed them by the arm and he flipped them over! And when that guy was getting up, he made a bunch of bones pop out of the ground and knocked him into the other guy. When he was walking out to face them, they ran away! He was so cool!"

At that moment, Toriel looked faint, and sat down, not wanting to allow him to leave her house ever again.   
"My child," She finally said weakly. "Maybe you should stay here for a few days..." Her face was whiter than usual and she fanned herself, wanting to hug him.   
"But we were safe the whole time," Habriel added quickly. "And if I wasn't, I had Undyne and Kaizer to help me." Toriel nodded, still shaken, but recalling that there were other monsters who would also watch out for her son.

"Child, I understand." She said. "But I'm worried. It seems like every day you step out, you come back very hurt. Just please, stay in with us for a few days." She said. 

"Sure, mom...." Habriel said.

"Besides." She said. "I wanna teach you and Frisk a couple things, myself..."

"Okay." Habriel said.

By now, Sans had long went home to his house in Snowdin. When he came in, Papyrus lectured him as expected, but Sans had to explain to him that he was in a large fight that day. This worried Papyrus, but Sans told him that everything was fine now. For the remainder of the night, Sans sat on the couch telling his brother the story, his brother left a bit watchful.

That night, Toriel sent everyone to bed early, including herself. She closed the book, turned off the night light and closed her eyes. Soon she was in a church she'd never seen before. Looking around, curious about the unfamiliar architecture she heard someone scream in pain. She looked over by the staircase and saw Habriel had multiple chains stabbed into him as he kneeled before a shadowy figure. 

"Defiant to the end..." the figure said. "You disappoint me." Toriel rushed over to Habriel but the shadowy figure pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the throat. 

"My child!" Toriel gasped as she rushed over. She put her hands on his throat and tried to heal him. Suddenly, he reached up, grabbed her by the wrist and looked at her with disdain.

"One should never be disturbed from their rest...." Habriel said. Soon a black liquid leaked out of his eyes and he stood up straight, facing Toriel. "Perhaps you should experience the same..." he said, grabbing her by the throat. "Maybe then, you'll understand...." he pulled out a knife and just before he stabbed her, Toriel woke up, sat up straight, holding on to her throat with her hand. She was sweating.

She touched her throat where her son held the knife in the dream. It frightened her.   
It was still the middle of the night; the fireplace had just gone out, and a light stream of smoke trailed out of the ashes up the brick shaft above. The room was dark now. Toriel could not hear anything but her own heavy breathing.

Slowly, her door started to creak open. She widened her eyes and held her breath in anticipation. A shadow came through the door. It was Frisk slowly walking up to Toriel.

"Mommy." They said. "I had a bad dream...."

"Oh, honey, what was it?" Toriel held out her arms wide, gesturing for her child to come. Frisk plodded over in their pajamas and slumped in her arms. "Well, it was kind of complicated... it had Habriel in it." Toriel's heart pounded for another second at Frisk's words. Toriel asked about the place in which the dream occurred, and Frisk confirmed that it was just like their mother's dream. They wiped tears from the corners of their eyes.  
"It'll be okay, my child," Toriel stroked their head methodically. "And if it makes you feel any better, I had a nightmare like that, too." "Really?" Frisk shifted to look at Toriel and then down towards the entrance to Habriel's room. "Really."

"What should we do?" Frisk asked.

"Well, we got three options." Toriel said. "We can both just go back to bed. If you want, you can sleep beside me. Or, we can go check on Habriel. I'll leave it up to you." She said.

"Oh," Frisk whispered. "Well, I don't know about waking him up. It's late; he should sleep. Maybe... could I sleep with you?" Frisk inquired quietly. Toriel chuckled. "Why, oh course, my child." With that, Toriel hoisted her child up and moved back and tucked them in. They slept peacefully until the morning.


	12. Chapter 12

After a good nights rest. Frisk and Toriel got up out of bed and stretched. "I'll go make breakfast." Toriel said, opening her bedroom door. 

"I'll go see if he's awake!" Frisk giggled. Toriel slowly made her way downstairs in her pajamas and walked over to the kitchen. Frisk skipped down the hallway to Habriel's room. She quickly opened the door cheerfully. "Hey, Habriel." Frisk said. "Are you-" they paused and looked at Habriel. He was sitting up straight in his bed. Hiding most of his face in the palms of his hands, all they could see were his eyes between the cracks of his fingers. The eyes were wide open and had bags. They soon realized he was shivering and breathing dramatically. 

"Not again...." he mumbled.

They were unsure of how to approach him; they wanted to run to him and embrace him, but ended up approaching him slowly by the foot of his bed with an outstretched arm. "Hey, Habriel," Frisk called softly to the fatigued-looking boy. He barely moved from his position. "Habriel, what's wrong?" Finally they reached him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me."  
Habriel revealed his face at last from behind his palms, displaying a weak face with dark, droopy eyes.

"Over and over...." Habriel said. "You and mom, over and over and over and over.....I tried to stop.....no matter what I did, it wouldn't change a thing." He started giglling. "It happened over and over, I couldn't stop dreaming about it." He started laughing, which only unsettled Frisk. "So I decided not to sleep....." he placed a hand on his forehead as he laughed again. He kept laughing. He laughed even when tears streamed down his cheeks. He didn't know why he was laughing. But it wasn't funny.

"What? What happened over and over? Here," Frisk pulled him into a hug, though he did not seem all quite there mentally. They were trying their best to comfort him to no avail. "You need to sleep, Habriel! Mom and I have had nightmares too, but we all need to sleep!" Toriel did not hear their conversation while in the kitchen. "Come on! You can tell me what's wrong!"

"I'm a monster..." Habriel said. Frisk looked up at him. "Every time I close my eyes. I see their faces. They won't go away."

"Habriel...." Frisk muttered.

"I killed you and mom...." he said. "over and over. I couldn't stop....."

"But it didn't happen," Frisk insisted suddenly. Their eyes opened with fierceness. "I don't think I should tell you, but you may be seeing other timelines. That's what Flowey was trying to remind me of... the timelines in which I... go berserk." They held their head in their hands.   
"For you, in the present, it didn't happen... it's only that it could have."

"Oh....how sweet." Habriel said condescendingly. "You finally admit it."

"What!" Frisk gasped. "What are you talking about? What's going on?" Habriel looked down at Frisk, smiling menacingly. 

"Don't you recognize me, partner?" he asked. "It's me." his eyes turned from violet to red within seconds. "Chara...."

"What!?" Frisk gasped. "What's going on?"

"Sleep well last night?" Chara asked. "I knew one of you would eventually break....."

Frisk tumbled off the bed in an instant at the voice and red eyes, stepping backwards while watching Chara's mind control Habriel's body. "Till one of us breaks?" They asked cautiously, continuing to move towards the open doorway.   
"You've been waiting all this time? I didn't think you were patient."

"It's kind of funny..." Chara said, getting out of bed, unsettlingly quick. "During your little argument with Asriel, in front of everyone. You didn't want to take the blame." He placed his hand on his chest. "Oh, but you don't understand." Chara said mockingly. "It was all just a different me." They started giggling maniacally. "What a terrible lie."

"Why?" Frisk choked. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's simple." Chara shrugged. "To show that even someone like you isn't above consequences. You thought you could just reset and get away with what you did? You can put the blame on me all you want. But the truth is, I didn't help until the very end. All those lives, all that LV gained. That was all your doing." They took a step forward. "But it's all okay, because you can just reset and pretend like none of it ever happened." They took another step. "Or....so you thought....."

"I'm done with resets," Frisk stated grimly. By now, they were in the hallway with their back towards the wall and their front towards the doorway. "I know I can't keep running from what I've done." They were trying to think of their next move; where they could run, what they could say.

"You're right." Chara said. "You can't run from this. You think that after what you've done, you can just get a happy ending?" Chara stopped smiling. They actually gave a look of resentment to Frisk. "No. Since when do people like you ever deserve a happy ending? You didn't kill for power, or for any pseudo virtuous reason. You killed because you were curious. Because you thought it was fun. It's disgusting."

"Stop it..." Frisk choked. 

"Tell me something." Chara said. "Did you ever care about any of us? Genuinely care? Or did you just pretend to like us just so you can get that happy ending?"

"I DO care! I care about everyone here!" By now, Toriel had finished making breakfast and could hear Frisk's voice rising from down the hall. She grew concerned, but wasn't sure who they were talking to, and was afraid it was Flowey.   
"My remorse for everything I'd done isn't enough already?! What do you want?!"

"I want you to answer for what you've done." Chara said coldly. "You've killed everyone without a second thought. There were countless times where they begged you to stop. They begged for their lives and you didn't care. You wanted to push on because it was fun. You say you care about everyone. But if you did, you'd never have taken that route. Right till the last moment, you could have start over. You wouldn't be dealing with this. But you....you...." Tears streamed down Chara's cheeks. "You had to push on. You had to make me kill my best friend....."

A thud made both children look to the side. Toriel stood over them, displeased and upset, not quite understanding what was happening. Both of them had tears in their eyes, and she didn't know the context or what she could do about it.   
"Mom..." Frisk whimpered.

"Children..." Toriel growled. "What's going on here? Explain yourselves."

Chara turned to Frisk. "Yeah, Frisk." Chara said. Wiping their tears away. "Go ahead. Tell her what's happening. Tell them what caused this, I'm sure you'll be more than happy to tell her."

"Please...." Frisk said, still crying.

"Alright then, mother." Chara said. "Since Frisk doesn't have the guts to tell you. I'll gladly share the whole story." Chara smiled menacingly again. Toriel looked over and saw Habriel's eyes were bright red.

Her heart leapt into her throat. This wasn't Habriel.  
Quickly, she grabbed Frisk by the hand and began to run, out of the house, through the snow. She was steering them towards Snowdin, towards Sans and Papryus' house. Surely they could help them. Maybe they could stay with the skeletons until things returned to normal?

"You can't run." Chara said, slowly following them from behind. "I'll still get you." They walked over, put on Habriel's jacket and went downstairs and looked for where Toriel hid the knives. They found one and picked it up, smiling. 

Toriel sped through the snowfields, finding the town with no time to spare. With Frisk in tow, she banged the door with a fist, startling the skeleton brothers inside the inviting home.   
"i'll get it, bro," Sans waved his brother off and got up from the couch. As he opened the door, Toriel threw herself and her child inside the house at the first chance. "whoa, hey, tori, what's the problem?" Sans asked, eyeing their haggard appearance and hurried breathing. Frisk looked as if they had been crying, and Toriel seemd to have seen a ghost.  
Sans closed the door behind them fast, leading them over to the couch and sitting them down in their humble abode. Papyrus was concerned for them, offering to give them anything they needed. Toriel politely declined, but explained their situation.

"so the kid's not himself?" Sans asked. "know how'd that happen?"

"I do....." Frisk said. All eyes were on them. "Do any of you know someone named Chara?"

"oh..." Sans lowered his eyes and sighed at the name. "yeah, kid." Toriel reacted similarly.   
"Chara was a bit like you, kiddo. Same height, age, even similar hair. Chara lived in the underground before you came along."

"Well...." Frisk said. "This is gonna be a little complicated. It's easy for Sans to understand because he already knows about most of this." Frisk pulled out their menu and showed everyone the 'Reset' button. "With my Determination." they said. "I can control what's called timelines. If I die, the reset automatically activates and loads a save point for me. Those save points are when I'm feeling determined. But, if I manage to either leave the Underground or break the Barrier. I can do a true reset. That completely moves everything back to square one. With that said, I can go through the Underground in different ways. I can be nice and befriend everyone. Or I can kill everyone."

Toriel sat and heard them out, trying to understand. But it was hard. Only Frisk and Sans and a few select others understood these concepts so easily, and of course it was difficult to suddenly accept the idea that there are pretty much multiple parallel universes in which anything can happen in contrast to this one. Sans attempted to help her understand it, too. Papyrus sat listening beside his brother.

"There is one timeline." Frisk said. "Where I decided to do the latter. I gained so much LV. I didn't know it, but when I fell in the Underground, I somehow awoke Chara from their grave. They didn't really reveal themselves until the end. They wanted to erase the timeline forever and I refused. They did so anyway. There was nothing but a cold breeze and darkness. Then, Chara offered to make the world again, asking me if I was above consequences. I said no. After a little chat, they made the world and reset the timeline. The new timeline. That's this one. When Flowey talked about how I killed everyone....he wasn't lying. And now Chara's back, and she's possessing Habriel."

"Then what can we do to stop them?" Toriel asked, looking at Sans. "How can we get them to stop possessing Habriel, at least? Then we can worry about dealing with them." Sans looked at his brother solemnly; he recalled the alternate timeline in which he persistently killed Frisk/Chara over and over again because they killed his brother and everyone else he cared about.   
"I don't know. But we can ask Alphys if she thinks she can conduct some experiments."

"Wow!" Chara's voice filled the room. All hairs stood up straight as a transparent image of Chara appeared in the middle of the room. "You actually did it!" they said. "You admitted to everyone that you're a murderer! I'm so proud."

"Where's Habriel?" Frisk asked.

"Lying unconscious in the cold snow outside of the ruins." they said. "But don't worry, I'll give him company as soon as I'm done here."

"Why are you doing this, child?" Toriel asked. 

"Because of that terrible creature." Chara said pointing at Frisk. "They think they can get away with killing all of you and just pretend like everything's okay."

"I know it's not okay! Didn't I just tell you that?! And didn't you just acknowledge me telling you?!" Papyrus hugged his knees to his rib cage in fright at the translucent, demonic child standing before them all. Sans growled, nodded towards Toriel, and teleported away. He hoisted up Habriel's freezing body and brought it into Toriel's house, kept the fireplace going, and returned to the scene. 

"If you truly thought that, none of this would even be happening." Chara said. "You murdered all of them, because it was fun....."

"And what about you!?" Frisk snapped. "You wanted to destroy the world and move on to the next one! How's that okay?"

"Putting the blame on me again, I see." Chara said. "I'll be honest with you. If I hadn't gained LV, I wouldn't be the terrible creature you see before you." They pointed at Frisk again. "Thanks to you, I got it."

Sans teleported back in the room. "so you're doing this because you think they should pay for what they've done." he said. "it's almost like you care about everyone. meanwhile, here you are, throwing habriel around like a toy you hardly care about."

"Oh, you wanna talk about him?" Chara said with an unsettling smile. "Let's. Frisk isn't the only person guilty when it comes to him, but all of you. You might not know it, but there's a large number of timelines when Frisk destroyed the barrier and you all immediately moved out to the surface. That boy, no matter the timeline. Ran away to Mt. Ebott, EVERY timeline. Including the ones where you all moved out to the surface. And while you all would make yourselves comfortable and happy, he would lay on the flowers and expire." Chara held her arms out. "No one would be there for him. This is the only timeline where he actually survived. The only reason is that you didn't move out just yet. Despite how you feel now. He's just as much of a broken toy to all of you as he is to me. I'm just much more open about it than all of you." She started laughing. "But leaving him isn't your only sin, now is it?" Chara said, addressing everyone. "I know you all have something to confess." 

"Why would you do this to us, child?" Toriel didn't look sad anymore. She was tired of being sad. Of course she still was, but now she looked angry. "Frisk clearly wanted to reverse what they did to us; that's why they reset the timeline. You just want it to be what you believe." Sans folded his arms in disgust.  
"yeah," he said. "and what gave you the idea that we'd just abandon habriel? the poor kid."

"So they get bored, kill everyone." Chara said. "Then they reset and try to sweep it all under the rug. That makes it all okay? No, they need to pay." they turned to Sans. "As for Habriel, you've already done it before. At least fifty times, I'll let that sink in." they started chuckle to themselves. "But you know what? I challenge you all to prove me wrong. I invite you all to the ruins where we can all settle our differences. If I win, Frisk doesn't get their happy ending. I kill everyone and erase this world for good! I won't be so kind as to make it again. Since it seems that you're all okay with them killing you anyway. But if you win, I'll admit that I'm wrong. I might even help make everyone's lives better. But that won't happen. None of you stand a chance against me. See you all back in the ruins!" they vanished laughing.


	13. Chapter 13

Frisk kept their head down. They didn't want to face their family and friends after all that.  
"I'm really sorry, everyone," they almost murmured. "I know what I did is horribly wrong, but I was terrified to tell anyone about it. I thought that feeling remorse all my life would be repentance enough, but..." Toriel hugged Frisk.  
"Let's just take care of this, my child. I'm glad you understand right from wrong." "Yeah, after all this, Chara just wants to play god," Sans scowled and jammed his hands in his pockets. 

"I know one thing, though." Frisk said. "I don't think that the four of us can fight them. Especially since they still have Habriel."

"we've gotta figure something out." Sans said. "if chara was being honest about their LV, they might actually be able to erase this world." he sighed. "this is all or nothing...."

"What if we get Undyne? Do you think she knows anyone strong enough from the royal guard that could take on Chara?" Frisk asked, suddenly hopeful. "The royal guardsmen are the strongest people we know, other than the king or Flowey..."  
Papyrus brightened up. "I CAN ASK UNDYNE IF SHE CAN GET SOMEONE TO HELP!" 

"tori, i know you might not like this." Sans said. "but i think we should get asgore involved."

Toriel sighed and put a hand to her forehead.  
"Ugh, Sans, are you sure? What about what Frisk said? Should your brother go ask Undyne to enlist help from the royal guard?"

"yeah, royal guard are strong." Sans said. "but asgore is still one of the strongest monsters in the underground."

"Maybe we can get Kaizer involved." Frisk suggested. 

"Who's Kaizer?" Sans asked. 

"Kaizer is a royal sentry who helped Habriel get back home after Undyne had to meet with Asgore. He apparently was able to beat up these two gang members easily. He's really strong!" "Oh yes," Toriel remembered the man who brought Habriel home that day. "Are you sure he's that strong?" Frisk nodded eagerly."Knowing Habriel, the guy has to be."

"let's go see undyne." Sans said. "see if she can find him." Sans went into his room and took out some of his clothes. "here kid." he said. "shouldn't be out there in your pajamas. and tori, i don't really have many pairs of clothes for someone with your height."

"It's fine, Sans." she said. 

"WHAT SHOULD I DO, BROTHER?" Papyrus asked innocently, watching his brother being to walk away with Frisk and Toriel.  
Sans looked back at his brother. "uhh... i dunno, bro. you can stay here, if you like." Papyrus sat and thought for a moment.  
"But I think you should stay here." "OKAY, SANS, I'LL STAY HERE. GOOD LUCK!" He called to them as they left through the front door and shut the door behind them.

"So let me get this straight." Undyne said. "A demon child came back from the dead. Possessed Habriel. Threatens to destroy the world. You want me to go get Kaizer and the other Royal Guard involved, but NOT Asgore?"

Frisk huffed and raised their arms in the air in slight frustration. "Well, get ALL of them! All of the royal guardsmen and Asgore! Let's get as many strong monsters who can help us fight Chara as possible!" Toriel promptly apologized for Frisk's abruptness. Sans stood behind them, just listening.   
"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do," Undyne said briskly.

Undyne pulled out her phone, dialed a number and turned on the speaker for everyone to hear.

"Who is this?" a voice said.

"It's Undyne..." she said. "Can you come over as soon as possible?"

"Sure...." the voice said. They hung up, not even saying goodbye. Suddenly, a green light flashed out in front of Undyne's house. The walked outside and saw Kaizer with his hands in his coat pockets. "Hey." he said.

At the first sight of the skeleton, Frisk dashed up and began to rattle off everything that had happened to them recently, which catches Kaizer off-guard. Sans chuckles, and Frisk stops and blushes, realizing that they were swamping him with their story. Kaizer waved off the embarrassment and asked, "Okay, could you tell me all of what's going on, but a bit slower?" Frisk nodded.

"It's Habriel." Frisk said. "A dead child named Chara's possessing him. We need anyone capable of a fight, a tough fight. Habriel told us that you were strong."

"I hardly know you people." Kaizer said. "But since Undyne thinks I should be involved, I'll do it."

"YOU WILL!?" Frisk gasped starry eyed. 

"On one condition." Kaizer said. "This King, MUST know about this."

"Okay," Toreil sighed again at the words. Frisk nodded to Kaizer, and the group set off to ask for Asgore's help, along with the help of the royal guard. Sans remained silent the whole time, as Kaizer was the one to speak to Asgore himself.

"Grab on to me." Kaizer said. "Let's just get this over with." Everyone placed a hand on his back and he managed to teleport everyone in the throne room. Asgore was watering his plants.

"Oh, is someone there?" Asgore asked without turning around. "Just one moment..."

Asgore turned around after setting down his watering can in the dirt beside his flower garden.   
"Hello, Your Majesty," Kaizer said coolly. Asgore greeted him kindly, glancing around at the other guests he had brought with him. "Oh, you brought Frisk and Sans? And..." He spotted his ex-wife among the crowd near the back. He smiled brightly at seeing her, and she scowled, making him frown quickly. "Well, what can I owe the pleasure of seeing you all today?"  
"It's complicated," stated Kaizer.

"If you're saying it's complicated, it must be a big deal." He laughed.

"Very...." Toriel mumbled. 

"It's Chara." Frisk said. "They're back and they wanna kill us." Asgore's heart stopped for a second.

"I'm sorry." Asgore said. "Could you repeat that?"

"Asgore, you've heard of the new human who fell down here we've taken into our family? Habriel?" Asgore nodded in confirmation. "Well, Chara's back, and just possessed his body. They want to kill us all..." Asgore's mood plummeted from cheeriness to coldness.   
"This sounds serious. You're saying you need help to fight them?" Frisk and the others all nodded simultaneously. "Well then. I'll see what I can do."

"Oh, we know what YOU can do..." Toriel said. Asgore held his head in shame. 

"That's enough." Kaizer snapped. "The last thing we need right now, is to be at each other's throats." He motioned for everyone to grab on to him. "Now, if we're ready. We can get this show on the road."

"Let's go get the others from the royal guard before we do anything else," Asgore requested, and Kaizer obliged. They went and recruited guardsmen that could help them with their task and then teleported near Toriel's house to find Chara once again. Sans teleported away from the group to check to see if Habriel was alright.

Sans quickly teleported back to re-unite with the group.

"What's it look like in there?" Asgore asked. 

"not good." Sans said. "that brat's possessed the kid again."

"What?! Urrrggggh!" Frisk groaned loudly, rolling their eyes and stamping their feet in the snow. They wanted this all to be done with; they just wanted to have Habriel back to normal. They were sick of hearing from and about Chara, especially since they thought that Chara was gone. "What do we do?" They looked at Frisk.  
"I'm not so sure you should participate in this fight, kiddo," Sans warned. "No offense, but you're probably the weakest one of this group." Frisk threw their hands down. "Then again... we don't know if Chara would try going after you specifically in this case..."

"I'm still going in!" Frisk snapped. Everyone turned around and looked at her. "I'm sick and tired of just standing around and watching everyone I love get hurt! I'm going in, and I'm helping!"

"Well spoken, kid." Kaizer said. "Let's go."

"Wait, I-" Toriel couldn't change their minds. She watched them walk inside. Then she followed them in. She felt as if she would regret allowing Frisk to join them in the heat of battle. They already fought against Flowey before, but Chara was just too much for a human child to handle. Chara wasn't really a human anymore. And they were certainly stronger than any adult human or child monster, at that. Only those with strong souls could hold power over such a demonic presence.


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone walked through Toriel's house and outside the the front porch where they saw Chara slitting their wrists with their knife out of boredom. They looked over, unimpressed by the group approaching them. They got up anyway. "I'm glad you could make it." Chara said, smiling. 

Frisk grunted at the fact that Chara was desecrating Habriel's body, but Chara didn't notice the noise. They watched the human child and monsters all gather around before them, filled with fury and determination. They weren't impressed in the slightest, but chuckled at the appearance of the motley band of fighters.

"It ends tonight." Frisk said. "This feud between us."

"No one knows that better than I do." Chara said as they reached into theor coat. Suddenly, they threw six knives around the monsters. Chara's eyes started to glow and the knives started glowing red. Kaizer managed to make shield around the monsters closest to him. The knives acted as lightning rods, shooting red electricity at the monsters. Most of the royal guard who tried to flank Chara fainted. There was a cloud of smoke for a second. But a giant, green skeletal arm blew away the smoke with a wave. Kaizer's eyes were already glowing. He slowly approached the demon child, with his hands in his coat pockets. 

"Let's just get this over with..." he said. 

Chara laughed again at the skeleton. "With great pleasure!"  
Before Kaizer made his first move, Chara slid to theor right at break-neck speed without moving their legs, forming a red knife in their hand. With glowing eyes, they brandished the knife towards their closest opponent and slashed at his form with ease; the blade sliced the air chaotically as he dodged their moves as best he could. 

Kaizer made a bunch of different complicated patterns with boned appearing out of the ground. However, they were nothing new to Chara. They'd gotten killed by Sans so many times that they could see through them. "This isn't good." Kaizer thought aloud. "If I'm to take them on, I'll have to proceed as if I'm trying to kill them."

"WHAT!?" Frisk gasped.

"No!" Chara snapped. "Don't ruin it! It'll make this a lot more fun!" they leaped into the air, getting ready for another slash. But before they did, a giant, green, skeleton fist appeared out of the ground and knocked them higher in the air. Another fist came from their left and struck them hard again. Soon fists came flying from every direction and they were being knocked back and forth in the middle of the air like a pinball. The final fist came from the front and knocked their back into a wall. They collapsed to the ground coughing blood.

"Wait!" Frisk yelled as Kaizer attacked Chara in the air. They felt completely helpless. Toriel and Sans held Frisk back from running headfirst into certain death. Tears burst from their eyes. Kaizer looked backwards as Frisk yelled aloud, holding Chara/Habriel in midair. Everyone was torn. Toriel's eyes followed Habriel's body floating above in the distance.

"You're in for it now...." Chara said with blood leaking out of the mouth. Kaizer held them in the air and threw them against the wall. Chara slid down the wall. Just when they were about to get up, a spear made of bone tore off a lock their hair, it just barely missed their head.

"Don't move..." Kaizer said. 

"Please..." Frisk was on their knees watching Kaizer attack Chara. "Don't kill Habriel..."  
"It's impossible, kid," Kaizer grunted as he tried to keep possessed Habriel in one place. "How can we keep the body alive but get rid of Chara?" Frisk lowered their eyes to the ground. Toriel put a hand on their shoulder. It seemed that they had run out of options.

Chara smiled. This was their opportunity. They grabbed their knife which suddenly glowed red and they made a large slash heading directly for Asgore. There was no time to make a shield. Kaizer could only do one thing. He teleported in front of Asgore and tanked the hit. He was down to one HP. Asgore widened his eyes in shock. Kaizer started coughing blood as he dropped to his knees. Chara got up laughing. "YES!" they screamed. "I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!" they pumped their fist in the air. "You're all so gullible!" 

Frisk and Toriel assisted Kaizer to move out of Chara's vicinity, staying by his side to check his injuries and attempt to heal him somewhat before anything else happened. Frisk took out a handkerchief and wiped some of the blood off of Kaizer's face and clothing.   
As Chara celebrated obnoxiously, Asgore silently formed his large red trident and swung the blunt end into their torso, sending them sprawling sideways to the ground. He didn't want to pierce through Habriel's relatively weak body, so he resolved to only use the blunt end of his weapon unless the battle became desperate. They grunted and convulsed violently; their ribs stung from the unexpected blow.

Chara leaped into the air and threw the knife at Asgore. In the middle of the air, the knife shot red lightning, causing Asgore to drop to his knees. The knife pierced his left pauldron and he fell on his back. They pounced on him, about to stab his throat. However, a Gaster Blaster appeared beside them and knocked them off Asgore. Before they could get up a bunch of bones appeared out of the ground surrounding them. Undyne launched an array of spears, Chara picked up their knife and used it to block any spear coming their direction. 

Sans formed more Gaster Blasters around the demonic child to keep them in one place while Undyne focused her spears in on them as well. Asgore moved backwards away from them to recover from his minor wound, watching the other monsters work together to attack their enemy. Toriel remained beside Kaizer to watch over him, and Frisk made their way to Asgore to ask him if he was alright.

Chara teleported out of the crossfire near the hallway. "Now's my turn!" they shouted. They pointed the knife at Frisk who was too scared to move. Chara swung their blade and stabbed themselves in the leg, laughing. "Oops!" they said. "Silly me!"

Frisk screamed and threw themself on Chara, flailing their arms around to grab the knife away from them blindly so they wouldn't hurt Habriel anymore. Chara growled and tried to push Frisk off them but they were persistent and stayed on top of them, fighting them for the blade they clutched with white knuckles. They gritted their teeth as Frisk inadvertently scratched up their arms.   
Kaizer shot upright from the ground beside Toriel; both watched them, horrified. 

Undyne threw a spear. Chara saw it, grabbed Frisk by the shirt and threw them directly at it. Kaizer teleported between Frisk and the spear. The spear went through his back as he caught Frisk in his arms. Satisfied, Chara licked the blood on their knife, giggling. 

Frisk and Toriel yelled once again; Toriel feared that Chara had run Frisk through with Undyne's spear, while Frisk thought that Kaizer would die from the wounds he was receiving. Kaizer placed Frisk next to Toriel and slumped down, exhausted and bleeding more. Toriel set to work using healing magic on him for the second time while holding Frisk back from joining the battle again. If it was likely they could lose Habriel, she didn't want to lose Frisk too.   
A bone erupted from the dirt beside Chara's feet and shot up into their face, making them bite down on their knife. They screeched in pain, glaring at the smiling skeleton.

Soon, all of the blood leaking out of Chara came flying into the air and forming a much larger blade on the knife. They smiled gleefully, pointing the blade at Sans. They swung their blade and a giant red slash dashed towards him in the air. Sans made a Gaster Blaster appear in front of him to block the attack. He quickly teleported away realizing that the slash effortlessly cut through the Gaster Blaster. He caused Chara to glow blue and throw them into the ceiling. Bones stuck out of the ceiling. Chara swung their blade, making another red slash come out of the blade, destroying the bones. Asgore launched an array of fireballs at the demon child. Sans kept them stuck on the ceiling so they couldn't escape. They however, formed a red bubble around themselves to block the fire, similar to Habriel's shield. 

"What!?" Sans gasped.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Chara smiled demonically. "I can use his magic to!" they teleported back safely on the ground. Red wings appeared on their back and soon countless blades shot out of the wings, flying in every direction.

Toriel yelped and scooped up Frisk and hoisted Kaizer up and ran with them into her house to keep them from harm. She didn't have much else she could do now to protect them since they were weak.   
Meanwhile, Undyne leapt off of Asgore's shoulders towards Chara wielding a large blue spear over her head as Sans tracked the child with his bones. 

"Fools..." Chara muttered. They snapped their fingers and every blade the flew out of the wings exploded, sending red spikes everywhere. A couple of the Royal Guards turned to dust. Sans managed to teleport inside of the house. While Undyne and Asgore both got severely hurt by the spikes. 

Sans appeared a few feet away from those inside the house, startling them. Toriel sighed with a hand to her chest, relieved that it was Sans and not Chara.   
"How's Kaizer?" Sans wondered since he had not initially seen the skeleton's wounds. Toriel shook her head in dismay.   
"It'll take a while to heal him. But I'm not sure if we have that time." Kaizer sat up as they spoke. Frisk worried that soon, all the warriors would be down, and they and Toriel would be the only ones left.

They believed they jinxed themselves with that thought, as Chara teleported right inside the house. "Isn't this great, mother!?" Chara called out, unaware of where they were hiding. "One big happy family reunion! All that's missing is Asriel."

The group each shoved a hand on each other's mouth to keep quiet. Chara continued to talk and decided to stroll painstakingly slow through the length of the house to taunt them. They enjoyed this. Kaizer, though still recovering, prepared to fight for their lives. Frisk hugged Toriel tight and she hugged them back, both watching for Chara, petrified. Sans also prepared to fight for all of them.

Frisk hiding their face under Toriel. The goat mother could feel the tears leaking onto her dress. Toriel gently brushed their hair, trying to get them to remain calm. However, Chara jumped into the room they were hiding in, with a demonic smile, laughing maniacally. "FOUND YOU!" they shouted.

Kaizer sent them flying out into the hallway with his boot. Toriel protected Frisk behind her body and watched them fight. Sans moved into the hall to join Kaizer in his attempt to keep the mother and child safe. Frisk didn't watch; they hid in the folds of their mother's robes.

Chara leaped, knife in hand. Only to get stabbed in the chest by one of Kaizer's spiked bones. Habriel's eyes immediately changed from red to violet and Chara fell out of his body. "Damn it!" They hissed. "He's too weak to control anymore." Like a child, they stormed off and disappeared. Habriel looked down at the wound and dropped to his knees, coughing blood.

All of them ran to Habriel.  
"My... child.." Toriel fumbled with part of her sleeve, ripping a large strip of the cloth off her arm and wrapping it around Habriel's torso after the bone disappeared. Sans and Frisk held him upright, and Kaizer watched.   
"I'm sorry, kid," Kaizer looked down at the boy. "It was just too difficult to fight Chara while she was in your body..."

"It's okay...." Habriel said. The blood easily leaking out of the cloth.

"Habriel....I'm sorry...." Frisk said, kneeling down to him. 

"It's gonna be okay, child." Toriel said. "You've been through worse."

"I'm sorry, Frisk....Mother...." Habriel said. 

"You don't need to apologize." Frisk said. "That wasn't you."

"Guys.....look at me." He said. All eyes were on him. He looked back and smiled. "I....love....you....." His vision went blank and he fell limp. His eyes now hiding under the shadows of his hair.

Frisk fell on him, dirtying their shirt. They were crying again.   
"It's going to be okay, Habriel... you know that..." Frisk cried. Toriel carefully lifted Frisk off of his body and picked him up, preparing to trek to Alphys' lab. He needed medical attention. Kaizer walked behind Toriel holding Frisk's hand, and behind them walked Sans. Sans swore he wouldn't let Chara keep this nonsense going. They will stop, and he will be the one to keep them from continuing.

"Guys..." Kaizer said. "His HP is zero...."

Toriel looked down at thr boy in her arms and saw his soul gently float out of his body. She collapsed down to her knees, tears leaking out. She stared at the soul floating in front of her.

Toriel clasped the small violet soul in her hands, kneeling on the floor.  
"There has to be something we can do to save him!" Frisk watched their mother cradle Habriel's soul silently. 

Suddenly, without realizing it. The soul went inside her and a violet light emmited from Toriel, suddenly. She grew long, loose white hair. Her red eyes started glowing violet, she now had large black pauldrons with a golden cape hanging off of them. Her horns grew large and violet crystals and gems were placed along the sleeves and clan symbols of her robes. She had black armor under those robes. Large gauntlets resembling claws could be seen stretching out of her sleeves. Spiked boots where now over her feet. She had accidentally absorbed his soul. She stood there in shock until she heard a transparent voice. Whispering. 

"What's going on?" It whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

Frisk and Sans took a few steps back.Kaizer's eyes widened.  
"Habriel?" He called to Toriel. She looked at them, confused.   
"you absorbed his soul...?" Sans asked, never having seen this happen before. "you think this is a good thing?" Toriel stood with help from the others.

"I-I didn't mean to!" Toriel gasped. 

"great...." Sans said. "now what do we do?"

"It's cold...." a voice said in her head. "It's dark...."

"Oh, don't worry, my child, you're still with us and we can hear you!" Toriel said aloud, not sure where she should be looking.   
"Maybe Alphys knows how to separate souls from bodies?" Frisk pondered, thinking that now would be the best time to go ask for help. "Why don't we go find her?"

"Who's there?" The voice said. Toriel kept looking around until she saw a violet apparition of a little boy sitting at the corner of the room. Hiding his face in his knees.

"It's Toriel, my child, it's Mom..." Toriel answered, wanting to move slowly to the boy but afraid that she would scare him away. "We're all here, my child... Frisk and Sans and Kaizer are here, too..."   
Frisk looked in the direction in which Toriel was looking but didn't see anything but the wall. They guessed it was a side effect of having his soul in one's body that you could see him.

The boy looked up from his knees and saw Toriel kneeling over him. He jumped up and hugged her. "I was so scared...." the apparition whimpered.

"I know, my child," She cried, holding on tight to the apparition's form. Frisk wiped away a tear and called out to him, hoping he would hear their voice as well. They were hopeful. Toriel let go of the boy momentarily. He looked up and over towards where Frisk stood.

"Frisk!" He called. He rushed over to them and tried to hug them, but he phased through them. 

'It seems I'm the only one who can see or touch him....' Toriel thought.

Frisk looked around themself, only able to hear Habriel's voice.   
"Habriel? Where are you? I can't see you!" Toriel laid a hand on Frisk's shoulder, letting them know that it was just a byproduct of this whole mess. They lowered their head in disappointment. So did Habriel.  
Sans could faintly see the traces of Habriel's soul intertwined with Toriel's under the elaborate layers of armor that had appeared on her body.

"how do ya feel?" Sans asked. Toriel looked over. 

"Much.....stronger...." she said. She held out a hand and tried to make a fireball. Instead, a violet crystal appeared. Cackling with electricity. 

Frisk jumped back. "Whoa!" Toriel made the crystal disappear quickly, for fear of sending the thing flying and spearing someone accidentally.   
"why don't we show this all to alphys?" Sans asked finally. Kaizer watched from the background as Toriel tested out some of her magic joined with her newfound strength.

She walked down to the hallways under her house and held out a hand. A violet rune appeared in front of her. Shooting a gigantic beam of fire, obliterating the wall at the end of the hallway.

Before going down, Sans grabbed Habriel's body and carried it with him.  
Frisk took Sans' hand and they ventured downstairs to see what she was up to, and Kaizer followed. Kaizer wasn't thinking much about how to separate Habriel from Toriel; he was wondering where Chara went and what their next move would be. 

Shocked at her newfound incredible power. She looked over at Habriel's apparition and back at her hand. 'Is this what it felt like, Asriel?' She thought. 

"Asriel?" Habriel asked. She turned around, shocked.

"You heard that?" She asked. Habriel nodded his head.

Sans breathed heavily as he huffed down the steps with Habriel's limp form. It was taller than he was, and much heavier than he expected. Therefore, it was a challenge to move him around, let alone carry him down stairs. Frisk slowed their pace so they could try to help Sans in his endeavors, but it was futile. Instead, Sans used his magic to keep the body afloat. With Kaizer trailing behind, they finally made it down the stairs to see what Toriel was doing.

"So not only can we see, hear and feel each other." Habriel said. "But we can also read each other's thoughts."

"It seems so, child." Toriel nodded.

"That's unsettling..." he said.

Frisk walked up to Toriel and Sans lagged behind, taxed from having to use his magic to float this body for an extended period of time. Kaizer followed, observing Toriel. Frisk tugged on their mother's sleeve, wanting to go get help for her.  
"Can't we find Alphys and ask if she can help you guys?" 

"Of course, child." she said. 

"Then grab onto me." Kaizer said. Sans touched his back while holding the hand of Habriel's corpse. Toriel grabbed his shoulder and Frisk held his hand. Soon enough, they were right outside Dr. Aphys' lab.

Frisk knocked on the door lightly, and nobody answered. They all looked at each other.  
Frisk knocked a few more times but harder, in case those inside the lab could not hear them. Alphys sat at her desk listening to anime soundtracks through headphones, and the knocking made them fall off. She scurried over and opened the door to greet the group and let them in.

"Hey guys!" Alphys gasped. "What's up?"

"Alphys, darling!" Mettaton called. "Who's here?"

"Oh, uh," She turned around. "It's Frisk and Sans and-" Mettaton's head popped around the corner.  
"Hello, Darling!" He called to Frisk. "How have you be-" He spotted Toriel's ferocious appearance and new armor. "Whoa!" Alphys then noticed it all as well. 

"So, Toriel?" Mettaton muttered. "Like the new outfit. You really grew out your hair, to."

Toriel glanced away from the pop star, slightly embarrassed and ashamed.   
"What's wrong, Darling?" Mettaton asked, seeing her less than enthusiastic reaction. She sighed.  
"It's just that... this wasn't by choice... I came here because, well, I... absorbed Habriel's soul." Alphys' mouth dropped and Mettaton regretted his compliment. He apologized for pointing it out, and she said it was alright.   
Alphys adjusted her glasses. "Then I guess you want to separate from him?" She asked. Toriel nodded.

"This may be difficult. Do you happen to have his body still?" Sans showed it to her, and she flinched. The body was beat up and bruised. "Well, good, I guess. We'll need a vessel for his soul to inhabit. We'll probably have to give his body time to heal, but I'm not sure it will unless it has a soul..."

"Mom." Habriel said. Toriel turned towards him. "If I go back in there now, I'll probably just bleed to death again."

Alphys stood and thought. "Well, let me think," She moved over to her desk to search the drawers for her observations on the effects of various things on the soul and on the soul in general. "We can try to use magic to heal the body alone without a soul in it, then try to transfer his soul back into his body..." She pored through her notes, flipping the pages quickly. Mettaton excused himself, leaving them to focus. 

"Whatever you can do." Toriel said. "Do it..."

"Oh uh," Alphys scratched her head, taken aback by the forceful answer. "Alright. Your call. When shall we start?"   
Frisk's anxiety grew; they didn't want to lose anyone. They feared they'd lose both Habriel and Toriel. 

"As soon as possible." Toriel said. "This is rather uncomfortable for both of us..."

"Alright." Alphys said. "Let's begin, then."

She led the distraught gang deeper into the lab, to an elevator, where they went down a level. Down there, the place was dark, with many large rooms with scientific equipment ready for use. They were slightly intimidated by the looks of it, but she laughed it off and tried to make light of the situation. 

"Can you feel it, mother?" Habriel said. "The essence. It's overwhelming. Many came here before us....."

"Right this way," Alphys led Toriel over to a specific room in the large basement level with dozens of tables lined up in rows with sheets draped over them. "It doesn't matter which one you choose; pick any you want and make yourself comfortable." She gestured to the tables which looked like empty surgery tables.  
"Just lie down while I go get some equipment."

Toriel laid down on the surgery table and Sans put Habriel's body over on the surgery table next to her's. Habriel's apparition walked over and placed his hands on one of Toriel's. 

"Mom." He said. "I'm so sorry that I put you through this."

'Don't worry, my child,' Toriel thought, looking at him though no one else could see him. 'We'll get through this.'   
"N-now there's nothing to worry about," Alphys tried to reassure the group as she entered the room once more after five minutes with some instruments and tools she would need. She brought the supplies over and set them on a table behind Toriel's. She carried some monster candy, some vials of determination, and two syringes. Alphys also brought along cotton balls and tape to cover the injections after she used the syringes, if she needed to use them. 

"I just wish I could have done something." Habriel said, hugging her. "When Chara controlled me. I was awake the entire time. I wanted to scream, cry or hide away. But my body wouldn't let me. I don't want that to happen to anyone else. To be trapped inside of their own body, it's horrific."

"Alright, Sans, I may need to you help me heal both of them when I do this, okay?" Sans nodded, assuring Alphys that they would have enough power to heal the bodies once the separation was complete. "Thanks. We'll need more than just monster candy to heal them." Frisk went and sat down on the hard floor as they didn't know how long the procedure would take. Kaizer went and sat down next to them.

"Alright." Alphys said. "I've attached you to the DT Extractor. It might sting a little, but not too much. The entire process should be painless, but we're ready if it's not." Alphys walked over to a power switch. "Are you ready, Toriel?"

Toriel glanced at Habriel's apparition, then at his lifeless body across from hers, and back to Alphys. She nodded.  
"Yes, Alphys, I'm ready."

"Alright!" Alphys said smiling. She flipped the switch and the machine rattled loudly and obnoxiously. Toriel took a deep breath and sighed. Suddenly, there was screaming. Toriel looked over to the side and saw Habriel's apparition slowly fading away screaming in pain.

"OH MY GOD, IT HURTS!" the apparition screamed. The child was being ripped out of a body, no one could have guessed it would have hurt. After all, ghosts and apparitions are incorporeal. However for Habriel, the pain was very real and it wouldn't go any time soon.

"Stop the machine!" Toriel yelled out, making Alphys jump and slam her arm down on the lever, causing the machine to slow its rattling and cease activity. Frisk had tensed up from the noise, and held their breath watching Toriel and Habriel's bodies.   
"W-what's the matter? Did something happen?" Alphys asked. "Yes, it was hurting Habriel," Toriel caught her breath. 

"What do you mean, hurting Habriel?" Alphys asked. "He's dead."

"No he's not, remember, I absorbed his soul?" Alphys blinked.   
"Oh yes, yes," she went pacing around the tables in thought. "But I didn't know I could still hurt him while he's like this... I guess it makes sense... but what else can we do? This is the only way I know how to separate you two."

"It's okay, mom." Habriel said. "What's gonna happen? I die again? I'll fight through the pain."

"Child..." Toriel muttered.

"I'm not a big fan of being like this for the rest of eternity and neither are you." Habriel said. He walked around in circles. "It's just pain, Habriel." he mumbled to himself. "You've got this. You're already dead, you have nothing to fear..."

Toriel began to cry, which alarmed Alphys and the others. She was reaching for Habriel's apparition, wanting to embrace him once more, but not wanting for him to have to go through the pain just to come alive again.   
Alphys kept apologizing, which Toriel waved off. Alphys didn't know what to do.  
"Wherever you are, Habriel, I'm sorry, I don't have many other options..."

She pulled him in and hugged him, trying to comfort him. "I'm sorry, child." Toriel said. Tears streamed down the side of her head. 

"It's okay, mom." Habriel said. He wiped the tears off. 

"No, I was the one who absorbed your soul." she said. "I'm putting you through this."

"Stop it." Habriel said. "It's not your fault. It was by accident. You had no idea it would happen. It's my fault for being weak."

"No it's not," Toriel protested her son's self depreciation. "It's neither of our fault." Alphys timidly watched Toriel talk to the air beside her. She didn't want to interrupt them, and they certainly had some time to kill, so she allowed the mother to speak to the child.

"Sometimes terrible things happen, child." She said. "Things that can't be predicted, nor prevented. But we have to deal with them and move on." She looked into his leaking eyes. "You'll get through this, I promise."

"If I don't..." Habriel said.

"Don't say that, child." Toriel snapped. "You're gonna be fine!"

"We don't know, mom." He said. "Just promise me something if I don't."

"What is it, child?" She asked.

"Find Marion." He said. "Watch over her, protect her. After I escaped, I saw her leave and flee in another direction. I promised her that if we ever saw each other again, we'd get married."

'Marion...' The name played in Toriel's mind for a bit. Who was Marion? Someone Habriel knew when he was younger and still under the torture of the priests?   
"Alright, my child, we'll try. Should we try this again?" Habriel nodded.

"No, I met her while at the cathedral." Habriel said, still capable of reading her thoughts. "We met one day by the cells. We first told each other jokes, as a way to laugh everything away. We fell in love and promised each other we would get out and get married."

'Oh...' She wanted to cry again, but kept a serious face on. 'Well, should we start this?'  
Alphys and the others were still waiting; Sans wondered how the heck she didn't notice, either. 

"Alphys." Toriel said. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, we're ready to begin."

"O-okay." Alphys said. She flipped the switch. 

"I'm ready..." Habriel said. The machine rattled again and Habriel whinced in pain. Falling to his knees, curling into a ball.

This time, Toriel had an idea on how to help him.  
"Alright, Habriel, you're doing great..." She broke into a sweat lying on the table. It was giving her pain, too.   
"Habriel, you're doing fine, we'll be fine. I'm so proud of you." Frisk became choked up; they realized that it was causing Habriel pain, even after death. He didn't deserve any of it, and they knew this very well. 

"Stay determined, Habriel." Frisk said. Not knowing what else today. Toriel whinced as she felt a sudden sting, feeling like getting stung by a hornet. She looked down at Habriel, watching him scream. Whatever she felt, it must have been nothing compared to Habriel's. He continued to scream, until there was dead silence and he vanished. Toriel began to glow again and turned back into her old self. She saw the violet soul make it's way through the DT Extractor and into Habriel's body.

"Yes... yes, okay, yes, it's happening," Alphys murmured, focusing on the soul's transfer. Toriel breathed deeply, feeling a slight headache after her transformation. She tilted her head sideways to see Habriel's body and what was happening to it. Kaizer and Frisk stood up to see. The body glowed a brilliant violet hue and went back to normal. Nobody said anything. They watched for movement with baited breath. Then he opened his eyes.

He quickly sat up straight, hyperventilating. He felt himself out, as if going through a gun inspection. He looked over at the others. "It worked....." Habriel whispered as tears began to flow down his eyes. He started laughing, very loudly. "It worked!" he celebrated. 

Toriel sighed in relief, which turned into crying. She laid on the table looking at her son, who was breathing and talking and smiling again. Alphys wiped sweat of her brow and smiled. Frisk ran to both Habriel and Toriel, making Toriel sit upright, pulling them both into a hug.

"I'm so sorry I scared you, Frisk." Habriel said. 

"Child?" Toriel said. 

"Yes, mother?" Habriel asked.

"You're not leaving the house by yourself, ever...." she said. Habriel giggled. 

"Okay, mom." he said.

"Oh!" Frisk said suddenly, letting go of their family. They ran over to Alphys, hugging her, too. She beamed.  
"I'm glad everything worked out," She chuckled. Sans walked over towards the set of tables.  
"glad to have ya back, kiddo.


	16. Chapter 16

"Where's Kaizer?" Frisk asked. 

"He teleported back to the ruins." Alphys said. "He's checking on Undyne and Asgore."

"Oh my God, that's right!" Habriel gasped. "We left them behind!"

"Wait wait wait," Toriel moved in front of Habriel to forbid him from leaving. "We can't just go back to the ruins, my child! Who knows where Chara has gone? You know that you and I both aren't in the condition to fight." Frisk nodded in agreement, rather wanting to protect them since they've been protecting Frisk the whole time. They wanted to give back. "Plus, Undyne and Asgore are advanced warriors. They can put up a fight when it comes to Chara."

"You're right." Habriel said. "Now, they have Kaizer with them to. And even when with me, Kaizer managed to really do a number on us." He looked down. "But, where will we stay?"

Frisk pulled out their phone and began dialing a number.   
"W-well, you guys can always stay at the lab," Alphys offered, scuttling over. "I know it may not be home, but it's kinda like a home. I can add beds to the main level for you guys to sleep in."  
Frisk held the phone up to their ear, waiting. "Hello?" They greeted. "Yeah, it's me, Frisk! We just went through a whole ordeal tha- yeah, you heard from Alphys what happened? Well, y'know how we can't go back to the ruins..." Toriel made a confused expression and Frisk mouthed the name 'Undyne' to her.

Habriel wandered to the side of the room and pulled out his amulet. He kissed it and placed it back under his shirt. He saw down, as if in deep thought. 

"Oh o-or you could just uh do that..." Alphys trailed off, hearing Frisk's phone conversation.   
"Oh! You guys could come stay here if you want," Undyne's voice answered through the speaker. "It's just not very roomy. I don't know if I'll have enough beds for all of you." Toriel motioned for Frisk to give her the phone, and they did.   
Toriel greeted Undyne and spoke with her about the housing situation, and concluded that there wouldn't be enough room for them to bed there for the time being. Soon, she hung up. "you could always come over to my place," Sans said. Frisk's face brightened. 

"Are you sure?" Toriel asked. "Do you have enough room for the three of us?"

"hmm..." Sans thought about it. There was the couch, his room and Papyrus' room and that was it. "darn." he grunted. 

"W-well." Alphys said. "My lab still stands."

Suddenly Kaizer appeared back in the room. "So, I heard you're not planning on coming back to the ruins."

"That's right." Frisk said. "We're worried Chara might get us if we go back there."

"Which is why King Asgore invites you to stay at his castle." Kaizer said. "There's more than enough room and plenty of security."

"Absolutely not." Toriel grunted. 

Kaizer folded his arms and raized an invisible brow at her tone and refusal. "Toriel, just set your differences aside with him for now! What other choices do you have? Just do it for the time being. Be grateful that someone has enough space for you and your children to stay at."  
Frisk squinted at her. Toriel rolled her eyes and grunted. "Ugh do we have to?" Frisk smirked.  
"You're acting like I would, Mom." They snorted. 

"You don't have to do anything." Kaizer said. "The King's offering you a place to stay. If I were you, even if I despised the King, I would accept for the sake of others that I cared about."

"What would you know?" Toriel asked. "About taking care of others?" Kaizer reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture of a little skeleton girl. All that could be seen was her face. She wore an orange bandanna over her head. She had beautiful, sparkling eye sockets with eyeliner. She had one of the most beautiful smiles Toriel has ever seen.

"You were saying?" Kaizer asked. 

"Oh, sorry," She blushed.   
"C'mon Mom," Habriel said. "It can't be that bad. And it won't be permanent. Let's try."   
"Okay," Toriel gave in. It was just a few days, but even being near him during the fight against Chara had bothered her immensely. She did not take a liking to him after their past experiences.

"Who was that?" Frisk asked Kaizer. "She's very pretty."

"My daughter." Kaizer said. 

"Well, you better get going," Kaizer broke the pause. "Don't want to impose on Alphys AND Asgore too much."   
Alphys gave a little embarrassed chuckle and simply waved it off, saying "It's fine! Don't worry about it." Toriel thanked Alphys, Kaizer, and Sans for their help, thanked Frisk for being patient, and they left the lab. Then they trekked towards the king's castle.

The group were making their way over from the core to the front of the castle. Seeing the gigantic castle made Habriel feel better. If he were to choose a place to hide from someone, it'd be Asgore's kingdom. The small family were slowly making their way through the first hallway when a random monster approached them by the side.

"What, seriously!?" The monster growled. "The King's really gonna let human trash in his castle?"

"They let you in, didn't they?" Habriel said.

The monster snarled and slammed his face with his palm; when his hand went back down, his face was unamused. "Ugh, fine! Go in, why don't you?" Toriel yanked her children closer to herself, glaring at the monster.   
"Is there a problem, sir?" She inquired, watching the monster with a piercing gaze.

Toriel, Habriel and Frisk were all giving the monster their own death stares. The monster, starting to sweat, moved out of the way. 

"U-Ugh..." the monster backed away. "N-no, ma'am."

"Good." Toriel said, changing back from a death stare to a cheerful smile. 

Toriel ushered the children past the monster, who went a separate way from the family.   
"Is he gone?" Toriel whispered, leaning over the heads of her children. They nodded after glancing around to see if the monster was anywhere nearby. They all proceeded towards Asgore's castle.

"Hey, punk!" a familiar voice called. Frisk turned around and smiled seeing Undyne approach them in her armor. "Heard you guys are staying with the King! That's great!" she said. Kaizer was right behind her. "Maybe when you all recover, we can continue our training. And it'll be extra special this time. We'll have Asgore with us."

"He's that strong?" Habriel asked. 

"VERY!" Undyne said. "He made me who I am!"

"Whoa, really?" Habriel asked, starry eyed. Undyne grinned.   
"Yep! He trained me to be the strong warrior I am today! And you're already getting super strong- soon you'll be just as strong if not stronger than me!" She pat him on the back. "Alright, see you guys later!" She strode off, waving them goodbye. 

"Remember, child." Toriel said. "There's still a couple things I wanna show you and Frisk."

"Of course." Habriel said, nodding his head.

They walked until they reached the front of the castle. Toriel acted hesitant to entering the edifice, but Habriel and Frisk coaxed her inside by echoing their previous sentiments towards staying there. It was not going to be forever, and she should appreciate it.

A beat up Asgore was waiting for then on the other side of the entrance. He stood there, smiling. "Howdy!" He said. "Would any of you like a cup of tea?"

The kids were bewildered. "What happened to you?" Frisk asked the gentle king. He didn't seem to care about his wounds at the moment, which slightly alarmed them. How could serving his guests matter more than taking care of himself in times like this?  
"Oh, this is just from the last battle with Chara," The king inspected himself where the children stared. Toriel chastised them quietly for staring, and they apologized and looked away. 

"I'm sorry, my king." Habriel bowed. "It was my spell that caused this. I take full responsibility and ask for your forgiveness."

"No, no," Asgore waved his hands in front of him. "It wasn't your spell, and it certainly wasn't your fault. Why don't you come in?" He beckoned for them to enter, and the children were more than happy to; Toriel held Habriel's hand, following him in. Frisk pointed out various parts of the castle to Habriel as they walked, and Habriel was fascinated by the design of the place. Toriel was bored.

"And this...." Frisk paused and began to hold their head in shame. "This is judgement hall." they said.

"Are you alright, Frisk?" Habriel asked.

They trailed behind with Habriel, waiting to tell him about the hall. Toriel had gone ahead a bit, and then they told him. "This hall," They whispered in a serious tone. "This is the hall where I fought Sans relentlessly in the genocide timeline. I... died over and over. Then he died. But that was then." They said under their breath.

"Look at me, Frisk." he said. They looked up ready to cry. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone had a story that they're not proud of. That's what keeps us level-headed and to have the will to do the right thing." he hugged them. "I don't think of you any different from when I met you. You're my sibling and I love you. You're gonna mess up. Mother and I will be there to help you back up. I look at you and see that genocide isn't your wish. Its quite the opposite. You want everyone to be happy, just like I want you to be happy."

They still tried to hold back their tears. They wiped at their eyes with their sleeve.  
"But... that's why we're in this mess. It's all my fault. That's why Chara's after us. It's because I was stupid." They wanted to hide their face again; they didn't want to keep eye contact.

"And look at me." Habriel said. "If it weren't for me, the cathedral wouldn't know about any of you and wouldn't cause you all so much pain. If you truly didn't care about us, you wouldn't have reset. For that, you have my upmost respect, Frisk. Not many in your shoes would have built up the courage to own up to their mistakes and make up for it." Frisk hugged him getting his shirt wet with their tears.

"Still... Chara's after us because of me and what I did... I wish they would just let it go. I cared too much about everyone here to just leave everyone dead. I wanted them to live." They wiped away their tears and looked at Habriel. "Meanwhile, all you did was to defend yourself."

"Maybe we shouldn't fight Chara." Habriel said. "Who knows, they could be in just as much pain as you are. Maybe the solution isn't to fight them, but save them." He hugged them again. "As for me, I look back to the people I've killed and I realize that I could have done it differently. I can't change what I've done. I'll have to see their faces in my dreams for the rest of my life. It was my decision to take their life. I'm glad that you can redo your decisions."

"Children!" Toriel called. "Where are-" as soon as Toriel entered the hallway she saw Frisk and Habriel hugging and wiping their tears away.

She ran over to see what was wrong. Toriel bent down to wipe the remaining tears from their face and hugged both at once. They promised they'd tell her what they were discussing once they were alone. They then silently made their way forward to where Asgore was waiting to continue leading them.

Asgore led them further in. "This is the throne room." Asgore said. The room was riddled with buttercups all over the place. "And my garden." Frisk held Habriel's hand and looked out of the window. Below it was Flowey, looking rather bored, hiding among the flowers.

Flowey was muttering under his breath when he heard the group enter the room. The noise caught his attention; he perked up, twisting his stem around and peeking up above the sill of the window to watch and listen to them. Only his eyes and the top of his head were visible, his top petal just reaching over the ledge.   
'What are those idiots up to now?' He thought, straining to see them.

"This place is always nice," Frisk commented, calmed by the quiet blooming atmosphere of the room. It was tranquil and undisturbed; it looked as if anyone who entered never trod on the flowers.

Asgore led them further on, all the way to the end. "This is where the barrier once was." he said. "For a very long time...."

Habriel marveled at the vastness of the hall. He could see this place being the grand entryway and exit for all the monsters in the underground. This also brought back bitter memories for Frisk. The king remained cheerful throughout his tour of the castle. 

Habriel paused as he saw the silhouette of a woman on the other side of the barrier. She wasn't injured, or limping but she seemed tired. Habriel was about to take a couple steps closer, but Toriel put a hand on his shoulder, worried it might be Chara or someone else. "Wait a minute..." Habriel said. "Is that?" he gasped and sprinted to the silhouette. Toriel wanted to stop him but he had already made it to her. She could see the two hug. He lifted the female in the air an spun around. Frisk could hear a faint laughter echo in the distance. 

"Huh?" They wanted to get closer, and Toriel wasn't stopping them from doing so, but they were still wary about it. Asgore was caught off guard and was interrupted in the tour when Habriel had run to the silhouette in the distance. He scratched his head in confusion.   
"Child? Who is that?" The king asked.

They all walked up to Habriel and the stranger. The little child and the two goat monsters approached Habriel sitting next to a girl with dark red hair and wearing a dark red shirt. They were laughing and telling each other jokes. The girl turned and saw the monsters and gasped. 

"Wait!" Habriel said. The girl paused. "You have nothing to fear from these people." he said. "They're our new family and they'll take care of us."

"How can you trust them?" she asked. 

"They've saved my life so many times, I lost track." he said. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them, I owe them everything."

"Thank you, my child," Toriel blushed and smiled happily from hearing her son say that.   
She held out a hand for the girl sitting next to Habriel. "It's nice to meet you, child. My name is Toriel, and I've been taking care of Habriel for quite some time now. That's Frisk over there," She pointed to Frisk, who waved and smiled too. 

"It's nice to meet you." she said smiling. "I'm Marion. Marion Weiss."

They shook hands. "Also, do you have anywhere to go, my child? I know some things about Habriel's past, and..." Toriel trailed off, not wanting to bring up the past too much, but she needed to find out if this girl had a home to return to or not. If not, she would offer to take care of her, as well. 

Marion looked down. "No." she said. "I've been wandering alone out in the wilderness for a while, now. When Habriel and I escaped. He distracted them so that I could get away safely. I'm so tired and hungry.... I don't want to worry him...."

"Oh my... Child, I cannot allow you to wander alone without food or shelter or anyone who cares about you. Would you like to live with us? I have a house in a section of the underground called the Ruins. I've cared for Habriel and Frisk for a while now. I understand if you're not comfortable, though," She added, realizing Marion might not trust her because of her past experiences.

The girl thought about t for a couple seconds. She sighed. "Before you approached us, he said that he trusts you and that little kid with his life. He would do anything for the two of you. If you had any ill intentions, I'm sure you would have done something by now. If he trusts you, I will to."

"I'm really sorry about everything you've been through, my child," Toriel wanted to rectify the horrors that the children had to live through all their early lives, but didn't know if she could. She was just some monster taking in human children. It wasn't her place to do so, but she felt that it was her responsibility to keep them safe and help them feel happy again. And at least Marion knew Habriel.

"You're serious..." she gasped. "You're really willing to take us in? Accept us?"

"Of course, child." Toriel said. "I never planned to deceive you." Tears ran down the girls cheeks and she hugged the goat mom. Toriel gently brushed the girl's hair with her hand as she whimpered. "It's okay, child." Toriel said. "I'm here for you." Habriel turned and saw Marion crying. He approached the two of them.

"Is everything alright?" Habriel asked. 

"Of course, child." Toriel said. "It's just a lot to take in-" Marion jumped out of Toriel's embrace and nearly tackled Habriel, kissing him in front of everyone. 

Toriel stared in surprise and Frisk did the duty of covering their eyes and turning around out of courtesy. Asgore blushed. "I guess someone's happy," He remarked from feet away.   
"Can I turn around yet?" Frisk asked awkwardly, which made everyone laugh.

They stopped kissing out of courtesy for everyone and hugged instead. "Of course, Frisk." Habriel said. "You're good now." Frisk opened their eyes and saw the two of them hugging. "You're gonna love it here." Habriel said. "Everyone's so nice." he then remembered his encounter earlier in the morning. "Well....mostly everyone...." Marion giggled and let go of him. Holding his hand. 

"Hey, Habriel..." she said. 

"Yes?" Habriel asked. 

"You must be a great Baseball player." she said. "Because you're great at hitting it off."

Frisk stamped their foot and put their hands over their ears. "Now I understand how Papyrus feels!"   
They exclaimed. Marion and Habriel laughed. "I can show you the ins and outs of the underground if you'd like. I know almost as much as any other monster here knows since I've been here so long." They told Marion.

"Child...." Toriel reminded them. 

"With our new family as an escort of course." Habriel laughed. "I kind of almost died a few times so we can't go anywhere without them."

"Really?" Marion teased.

"What?" Habriel asked. "Not like I died....well....except for that one time."

"WHAT?" Marion yelled. "What do you mean, 'that one time?!'"   
"It's a bit complicated, my child," Toriel added quickly. "And we have tons of materials to help heal."  
Frisk began to inch their way further away from Marion by shuffling quietly and slowly by their heals and the balls of their feet, sliding sideways without making a sound. They didn't want to be judged by Marion based off of Chara's need for vengeance. They didn't want her to find out about the timelines so soon. She just met them; it wasn't fair.

"It's a long story." Habriel said. "It doesn't matter. What's important is that we're here now, together."

"You know what that means..." Marion said.

"That's right." Habriel said. "Our promise..."

"Oh children! You're a little young for that, don't you think?" Toriel chuckled at their remark, making them blush with embarrassment. With Asgore feeling more and more awkward, he asked from the background, "Shall we go on with our tour then?" Frisk was still sidling away, and the king caught their eye.

"Frisk, what's the matter?" Habriel asked worriedly. Frisk looked like they were ready to cry again.

"Why don't we explain to her the complicated stuff later? Like, much later? We just met..."  
They stopped moving away since Habriel noticed their movement. If they weren't careful, their reputation would be ruined. They didn't want to look bad, but this behavior was making things worse. They gritted their teeth, holding their head in their hands.


	17. Chapter 17

Habriel nodded his head. "Let me show you to your rooms." Asgore said. He led the group back away from his house and took them down the elevator to MTT Resort. "Unfortunately, there's not enough room in my house for everyone alone." he said. "One of the rooms are going under renovations so there would only be two bedrooms. One of them, mine. So instead, I booked you all your own places to stay at the best rooms the MTT Resort has to offer." he smiled. 

"Wow, really?" Habriel asked starry-eyed. Asgore nodded his head. They were just leaving the elevator when the monster who confronted Habriel pointed at him by the water fountain. 

"That's him!" the monster said. "That's the guy who scared me." Habriel felt something wrap around his left foot. He looked down and saw a blue tentacle wrapping around him. Before he could get it off, it quickly lifted him up. He screamed while being thrown around in the air like a rag doll and slammed into a wall. 

"Habriel!" Marion cried. Habriel rolled on the floor and was approached by a large monster who was the same race as Undyne. 

"Hey, kid." the monster said. "You've been messing with one of my boys?"

"He started it." Habriel coughed. 

"Don't matter who started it." the monster said. "I'm finishing it. From your answer I'm assuming yes, it was you." Habriel looked up.

"How long that'd take you to figure out?" he asked. The monster smiled. 

"Do you wanna fight me?" the monster asked. 

"No, I don't." Habriel said. 

"That's a shame, kid." The monster said. "I REALLY DO!" He lifted his fists in the air and slammed them on the ground. Habriel rolled out of the way just in time before it hit him. He gasped as it shattered the ground and blew part of the wall away. The kicked the monster in the face and rolled over his back and got up on his feet. The monster laughed and spit blood on the ground in front of him. 

Asgore and Frisk gasped, backing away from the monster. Toriel almost floated over to him ina rage and wound back her fist. "Leave... him... aLONE!" She swung, punching him across the face and making him take a few steps back. Then she moved backwards to avoid any possible attacks.

The monster continued to laugh as he exhaled a purple cloud. Whatever he was breathing, she didn't trust it. The monster pointed at Habriel and the cloud went into Habriel's mouth and nostrils, all of it. He dropped to his knees coughing and hacking. It was as if he was going under a trance. "My child!" she gasped, she knelt down and tried to heal him, but he wasn't losing any HP. She had no idea what to do. "Kid can't hear you, right now, lady." The monster said. A magical tentacle lifted him in the air and threw him across the room. "He's a little busy fighting my poison." He approached Toriel with bloodshot eyes, cracking his knuckles. "Now, where were we?"

"Mom! Don't-!" Frisk screamed as the monster approached Toriel. She rolled up her sleeves and formed flames in her hands, flinging them at the monster's face. He avoided the fire and kicked her in the stomach, sending her to the ground before his feet.   
Immediately, she swung the full weight of her legs against his ankles, making his legs crumple beneath him.

Enraged, the monster caught his balance and used one of his magical tentacles as a whip and slashed Toriel across her back. The pain was so sudden and sharp, she could feel her flesh getting ripped off, she screamed. Right when he was about to whip her again, a red trident caught the tentacle, making it wrap itself around the weapon. Asgore pulled the monster in and punched him in the face, knocking a couple teeth out.

"Leave her out of this." Asgore growled. 

"She's the one who started it," the monster hissed back in Asgore's face. "So she's part of it!" Toriel backed up on the ground behind the king, and Asgore stood his ground.  
"Leave her and her children out of it!" Asgore swung his trident left in a wide sweeping motion, swinging the monster away from him. 

The monster exhaled more poison and made it go inside Asgore. Causing him to drop to his knees. The monster was about to finish him off until a blue spear impaled him in the back. He turned around to an enraged Undyne.

"Picking more fights, Iredox?" she yelled. "I've beaten you a hundred times, wanna make me beat you again?"

"I've gotten a little stronger since last time, pipsqueak." Iredox said. "Thanks to a little LV... It won't be the same as before."

"Wai- uh-" Frisk, timid in the face of pain, moved to see if their mother was alright. They snuck behind Asgore to Toriel to see her condition. They watched the action happen from past Asgore's legs. They were stuck between helping Toriel or helping Undyne. 

"WAIT!" Frisk yelled, running to Undyne's side. Undyne pulled them aside roughly, asking, "Are you nuts?!"   
"Don't fight her!" Frisk pleaded to Iredox.

"Move aside, brat!" Iredox snapped. One of the tentacles were about to whip Frisk until a skeletal hand grabbed it. Another punched Iredox into a wall. 

"You know..." a familiar voice said. "I can't seem to leave you people alone for five minutes without getting into trouble." Kaizer approached the group slowly with his hands in his coat pockets.

"Kaizer!" Frisk wanted to jump for joy, but it would have been awkward in the situation.   
"Hey, Kaizer! This nuisance won't leave us alone," Undyne stated in an almost cheerful growl. "You think you could help us?" Undyne grinned irritably to her comrade so he'd get the idea. Frisk stayed where they were, standing strong. They didn't want to give up on their friends, and they were tired of being the one helplessly in danger.

"Oh, boy!" Iredox shouted. "All sorts of people gotta come in and interrupt my little scrap with the boy. He saw Toriel slowly get up, observing a paralyzed Asgore. He smiled. "Maybe I should make the poison in both of them lethal." he said. "Make things fun for me..."

Frisk stepped forward more towards Iredox in front of Undyne and Kaizer, against their wishes. They were terrified of Iredox, but they'd be damned before anyone hurt their mom or anyone else they cared about. And they weren't about to let Toriel and Asgore be killed by this monster.

"Alright...." Iredox said. "Since nobody's objecting...." he smiled. "LET THE HORROR SHOW BEGIN!" He was getting ready to snap his fingers. "Maybe I'll make the poison eat away at the liver....." A spear scratched the hand. Iredox hissed and grabbed it. Undyne charged forward.

"Don't let him snap his fingers!" Undyne shouted. "If he does, The King and Kid are goners!" 

Frisk leapt at Iredox's left arm, grabbing onto his hand and keeping it from snapping. He tried to fling them off of him, but it was tough, especially while Undyne and Kaizer were also attacking him simultaneously. But it was harder to do so while Frisk still hung on his left hand the way they were doing.

"Get off ya little brat!" Iredox shouted. He grabbed Frisk by the head with his other hand and held them in the air by the head. Frisk could feel him slowly squeezing tighter and tighter. The pain was unbearable. "Like popping a grape..." he giggled. A fireball landed right in his mouth, causing him to let go of Frisk. 

Frisk collapsed on the ground holding their head from the pain. All they could hear was the fish monster's screaming and high pitched static for a moment. They didn't want to do it, but they pulled the stick they had found near the beginning of their life in the underground out of their pocket and began to strike Iredox's shins with it. Even though it was just a stick, they were determined to do damage to defend their family; the stick cracked and splintered against his legs.

A giant skeletal fist knocked Iredox through the wall of the building as the skeleton made his way over and placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "Nice moves, kid." he said. He walked over to the giant hole he had made only to see that Iredox had disappeared.

"What the-!" Undyne kicked part of the debris from the wall in agitation. "Where'd he go?!"  
Frisk stood up, still shaky from the pressure placed on their head. Toriel stood and ran over to check Frisk; she saw the whole fight. Frisk stood on their wobbling legs for a moment, trying to tell their mother they were fine, but suddenly their eyes opened like leaky faucets. It was just the after-effect; they weren't focused on how they felt during the battle, only on escaping and helping the others.

"Child, you aren't fine!" Toriel said. "Let me help you." She knelt down and did her best to heal Frisk.

They cried mostly as catharsis from their interactions with Iredox. They felt the fright afterwards.   
"No, Mom, I'm fine, really," They insisted, though their head was still pounding.

Despite their insistence. Toriel used her magic to heal them anyway. Admittedly, Frisk started feeling less light-headed. "Mom..." Frisk this time the tears weren't coming out due to catharsis. Frisk hugged their mom who gently stroked their hair. "For a second...." Frisk said. "I thought...." 

"It's okay, my child." Toriel said. "I'm here now." 

Marion rushed over to an unconscious Habriel. She cried and knelt before him, hugging him and getting her tears all over his clothes. Undyne and Kaizer rushed over to Asgore to make sure he was alright. He was still awake, and they did their best to heal him.

"Alright stay here, I'm going to go help Habriel and Marion for a bit," Toriel said, kissing Frisk's forehead. Frisk nodded, watching their mother walk towards the others. They seemed devastated.  
"I'm here," Toriel told Marion as she came over and knelt down beside Habriel's body. "I'm sorry, my child, I was attending to some head injuries Frisk sustained..."

"Goodness!" Marion gasped. "Are they okay?"

"Yes, thankfully..." Toriel sighed, closing her eyes. "They were trying to keep him from snapping his fingers, and he grabbed and held them by the head. Thank goodness we got him away."

"I feel so helpless..." Marion said. "It's like there's nothing I can do...." tears leaked out, pouring down her cheeks.

She hugged Marion and tried to stop her tears. "Don't worry, I can help heal Habriel," She promised, trying to reassure her as best as she could. "I just have to figure out what the poison has done to him..." She shifted and checked to see if he was breathing.

"He's still breathing." Toriel said. "Luckily, he's only paralyzed. It's strange how Iredox could actually make the poison do exactly what he wants...." 

Undyne walked over with a vial. "Here." she said. "I've taken more than my fair share of that stuff. Luckily, Alphys came up with an antidote."

"Oh, thank you Undyne," Toriel accepted the vial of liquid graciously. "And could you check on Frisk? I'm going to try to help Habriel here," She asked.   
"Sure, will do," Undyne replied, running off to find the child. "Alright, let's help him," Toriel turned her attention back to Habriel and Marion.

The vial worked like magic. Habriel started clenching a fist and moving his fingers. Soon he started crying and hugged Toriel. "I was so scared for a second." Habriel said. "I thought he was going to kill you..." He looked up at her and she saw that his eyes were already puffy red.

"I thought I would lose all of you..." Toriel whispered. "I still need to check up on Frisk... Marion knows what happened to them in regards to Iredox..." She said remorsefully. "If only I could have protected you all..."

"He'll pay for what he did to them." Habriel grunted. "It's one thing to get them off, but that was unnecessarily cruel." He looked over and saw Toriel's gashing wound accross her back. "You're hurt!" he gasped.

"Yes, but it could have been worse. After all, this wouldn't have killed me," She said sadly, thinking about Frisk still. "Let's go find Frisk. I wonder if Undyne has spoken with them yet?"  
She helped her son stand and they all began to walk.

They walked over to Undyne patting Frisk on the head. She'd given them a glamburger and Frisk started feeling much better. Frisk turned only to get a hug from Habriel. "You alright?" he asked.

"My head still hurts, but yeah," They smiled and hugged him back, glad to see that someone was able to revive him and that Marion was also okay. "That was scary. What was up with that guy?" They took a bite of the glamburger and sat back, rethinking the fight over. 

"That's Iredox..." Undyne growled. "Leader of some elitist gang who kill each other to get stronger. They think they're gonna overthrow Asgore someday. I've fought them plenty of times." 

Frisk rolled their eyes. "Clearly they're still not strong enough to beat him, though."  
Asgore and Toriel regrouped with them and Asgore brought them to the MTT resort shortly, apologizing for running into Iredox on the way there.

"You're on the top floor and you'll be provided the best room service it has to offer." He said. "I'm sorry that there isn't enough room in the house."

"It's fine!" Frisk insisted. "You're helping us out enough, already."

They all waved goodbye to the king for the day and as he returned to his castle, they entered the MTT resort and told the concierge that they had rooms booked for the top floor by the king. Then they were given room keys and shown to the top floor rooms. They unpacked and settled down finally.

Habriel made his way inside to the bathroom and took off his shirt. He looked in the mirror and saw that shards of glass were stuck in his stomach. When Iredox threw him, he banged into the wall and shattered a window. The shards of glass fell all over him. He hid his injury from everyone. Trying to make sure that they wouldn't get worried about him again. But now was the time for him to deal with this injury.

First, he needed something to cover over the cuts when he would remove the glass from his torso. Then, he'd also need something to heal himself with. It would be tough if he didn't want to worry anyone, since magic usually does the trick. Then, he'd need some way to dispose of the glass safely and hidden from everyone else.

He got in the shower and turned it on, there he started to painfully pull out each piece of glass individually. He grunted in pain.

As he did so, it fell to the floor in the shower, which created a slight sound. He worried that it would be noticed by those in his room, and also worried of how he could get rid of the glass. He washed the blood from his body as he pulled the glass out, which was excruciating.

Lots of blood leaked out. More than he had anticipated. He sat in the shower. Hoping that it'll stop eventually and that the water would wash it all off. 

'Uh oh...' Beginning to panic a bit, he considered opening the shower door and snatching up a few of the towels to cover his wounds until he was sure they stopped bleeding; the only problem with that was that, as every standard hotel has them, the towels were pure white. Blood would be easily noticed on such pristine towels. He had to figure something out soon.

He grabbed his own shirt and wrapped that around the wound. Luckily a pair of pajamas were already in the bathroom. He could easily hide it under the black t-shirt. He tied it around his waste, covering each opening and made a very tight double knot with the ends of his shirt.

Toriel tucked Frisk in under the covers of one of the beds in the hotel room. She sat on the bed by them for a minute in silence, taking in the day. It was unusual for so many bad things to happen in such a short amount of time. First Chara, now this. She just wanted the underground to be like it was before- peaceful...  
She fell asleep beside Frisk.

Habriel quickly scrubbed away any blood drops he saw on the floor or the tub. He picked up the trash can and put all the glass shards in it. He put on the black t-shirt and sweatpants, grabbed the trashbag within the can, tied it and snuck out of the room to another can in the hallway. He made sure not to make a sound as he went back in.

Toriel and Frisk were out cold by the time Habriel was finished. He wasn't sure, but he stayed quiet so as not to wake them, and he was correct. He saw them sleeping after he changed and got rid of the glass-filled bag.

He looked over and saw Marion sleeping peacefully on pull out bed. He sat over the edge on the same bed. 'There has to be a reason.' Habriel thought. 'None of us can't seem to catch a break. Why?' He tried to think of something. It has to be more than just bad luck. He fell asleep, unable to come up with an answer.


	18. Chapter 18

Eventually, Frisk woke up late in the day, and woke up Toriel as well.   
"Oh my goodness! It's late!" She whispered, looking at a digital clock on the bedside table. The goat mom tip-toed over the carpet and quietly woke up Habriel and Marion, telling them the time. 

"Oh..." Habriel said getting up. He felt his shirt slide a little and he immediately stopped stretching to make sure it wouldn't fall off. He turned around, just in case if anyone was watching. Luckily, Toriel was talking to Marion as she slowly got up and stretched her arms.

Once again, Habriel thought about why they had to go through all that stuff... 'Could it be spawned all by Chara? Could she have instigated Iredox to attack us?'

He thought about it for a second but deemed it unlikely. 'They could probably kill us all right now if they wanted...' he thought. On their way down to the MTT restaurant, everyone saw Sans and Papyrus getting seated.

Frisk ran over to their table as they took their seats to greet them, and Papyrus smiled brightly.   
"I'M GLAD TO HEAR YOU'RE OKAY, FRISK!" He greeted them by hugging them. He was relieved to see them in one piece, as he heard what events transpired the day before. Sans agreed.  
"Yeah, kiddo. That was pretty brave of ya."  
Toriel called Frisk over to join her and the others for breakfast, and they complied, waving to the skeletons and returning to their original table.

Habriel and Marion saw a couple dogs yelling at their waiter for taking a long time to get their order. The waiter apologized and rushed back into the kitchen to get the food.

"Wow." Habriel said. "Looks like they're having a ruff time..."

"Of course." Marion said. "One might even call it wolven...."

"It's a dog's life..." Habriel said.

"Yeah and..." Marion paused. "Darn it, you win this time."

"Ha!" Habriel exclaimed.

Frisk laid their head on the table beside their silverware, too tired to listen to countless more puns by the dorky couple across from them. They just wanted food.  
"Hello," The waiter arrived at their table, and Frisk lifted their head and straightened up, embarrassed.  
"May I take your order?"

The waiter turned to Frisk. "Oh, ummm." Frisk looked at the menu for a second. "I'll take a short stack of pancakes with a cup of water." The waiter wrote it down and turned to Habriel.

"I'll take some scrambled eggs with a cofvefe." he said. 

"How would you like it?" the waiter asked.

"Black, please." Habriel said. The waiter wrote it down and turned to Marion.

"I'll have the same thing." she said. "But I prefer my coffee to have cream and sugar, please." The waiter turned to Toriel.

"I'll have a small order of snails, if you don't mind." she said. "With a water." The waiter read everything to everyone to confirm that everything was correct and he disappeared to the kitchen. 

Frisk glanced around the room and placed their head back on the tablecloth.  
"My child, what is wrong?" Toriel turned to them, questioning the motives to act so odd in public. They knew better than this, but the combination of Habriel and Marion's jokes with their troubled sleeping made them want to close their eyes and drift.

"Sorry about that..." Frisk said, lifting their head up. "I'm just a little tired, still." Toriel stared at Frisk with a worried expression. Even with all that sleep, they're still tired. 

"Maybe we should take you to see Dr. Alphys." Toriel suggested. "It might have to do with your head injury."

"I dunno..." They sat back in their chair, slumping. They closed their eyes. "Maybe..."

Habriel got up and rested a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "C'mon." he said. "I'll take you there." 

"Wait, but we need to get breakfast-" They stammered, looking up at Habriel who had stood up and was standing beside their chair, ready to leave the restaurant with them.   
"You're too tired, Frisk," Habriel told them. He wanted to get them help.

"How about this." Habriel said. "I take you there now, come back and bring your food to you. Will that make you feel better?"

Toriel watched, suppressing a laugh. She appreciated that her children took care of each other; if she was gone, she knew she could trust them to care and watch out for each other.   
"But... you shouldn't have to do that," Frisk protested.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't willing." Habriel said.

Frisk sighed deeply and turned their body, setting their feet on the floor next to their chair and finally standing up.  
"Alright, fine," They complied, and Habriel took them outside and they began to walk to the lab.

Habriel and Frisk used the elevators to get the Dr/ Alphys' lab faster. Habriel knocked on the door and explained to Alphys about the situation. "I'll be back with your breakfast." he said to Frisk before thanking Alphys for her time and returning to the MTT Resort. 

****************************************************************************************************

Toriel and Marion had all the food put into boxes when he returned, including their own. "You wanna come with?" Habriel asked. 

"Of course, child." Toriel said. "I'm not just gonna leave you and Frisk at the lab." On their way back to the elevator, a dog monster came out of the elevator and scoffed when he saw Habriel. 

"Problem?" Habriel asked.

"The King might be so gullible as to let you humans roam free." the dog said. "But I'm not so foolish. Try anything, anything at all, and it's off with your head."

Habriel shot the dog a death stare. "Go ahead and take it." Habriel said. "Not look you're using yours." The dog growled and pulled out his knife. 

"You're really making this easy!" the dog snapped as he clumsily swung the knife. Habriel grabbed the hand and squeezed the wrist so hard, the dog had to let go of the knife.

"Don't get cocky..." Habriel growled as he punched the dog in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Habriel caught the knife in his other hand and threw it. It landed right next to the dog's face, scaring it completely. The dog looked up to see a rather intimidating death stare by Habriel. The dog whimpered, grabbed the knife and ran off. 

Toriel let out a long breath with her eyes closed. "Child, next time, perhaps just don't listen to what people may say about you. I understand that it's terrible to talk to people like that, but it's safer to just let it go," She warned him. It was lucky that the dog didn't pursue them any longer and continue the fight. If it escalated, Toriel would obviously have to get involved and protect them.

Alphys sat on the foot of her bed with Frisk laying behind her; she made them lay down since they seemed to need the rest. Habriel had told her that they'd bring back Frisk's breakfast, so she didn't interfere in that respect. The scientist sat quietly watching anime on her television, which was hooked up with headphones so the sound wouldn't disturb Frisk's slumber. Every now and then Alphys looked behind her to check on them, and they remained sleeping for a while.

Habriel sighed. "You're right." he said. "It's just that I know that one day humans and monsters will meet up. Just when I think that it might end up well. Humans and monsters like that fellow show up and remind me that there's been too much conflict and bitterness. I don't know if humans and monsters could ever co-exist again...."

"They may, my child, they may. You just have to stay hopeful." Toriel said. They entered the elevator and waited inside to reach the level with Dr. Alphys' lab. 

Alphys continued to watch her show with Frisk behind her. 'I wonder when they'll wake up,' She thought, pausing her episode and turning to look at the child. 'I won't wake them until the others come. Then they can wake them up if they choose.'

"Hey, Marion." Habriel said in the middle of the elevator ride.

"Yes, dear?" she asked. 

"When Frisk feels better, do you wanna go out on a date?" he asked.

Toriel gave them space, pretending to mind her own business, blushing and chuckling.   
"Sure!" Marion smiled at him, nodding.   
The elevator stopped, the doors slid open, and the three walked out.

"Great!' Habriel smiled. "Do you wanna go around the Underground or..."

"I was actually thinking...." Marion thought for a second. "The surface!"

They were almost at Dr. Alphys' lab.

"Just be careful when leaving and coming back," Toriel told them, and they agreed.  
"Don't want to run into that dog again," Marion laughed and so did Habriel. "Yeah."   
They were walking around and up to the front of the lab, now.

Habriel knocked and the door which instantly flew open with Alphys on the other side. 

"H-hey guys..." Alphys said. "Frisk is waiting for you in the bed, right over there." Alphys pointed the room out to the group. They thanked her and slowly made their way into the room. Toriel placed the bag down and pulled out the box of food labeled 'Frisk.' there was already a tiny table with a plate and silverware prepared for Toriel. Toriel silently thanked Alphys again before putting Frisk's breakfast on the platter. She turned around and saw Habriel gently waking the little kid up.

"Wake up, sleepy head." Habriel said. "As fun as going out to eat is...breakfast in bed is just better. Don't you think?"

Frisk groaned and flipped over onto their back, barely opening their eyes. They sat up gradually, holding their head.   
"Head hurts," They murmured, squinting as they finally sat up fully. "Had a nightmare about Iredox."

"I'm sorry." Habriel muttered. "Would you like some water?" he asked. "I'll be happy to get some for you."

"Okay," They said groggily. They needed to truly wake up, but their head just hurt. It was hard to remember what the nightmare with Iredox was about, but they knew this confirmed their fears of him. Habriel went and retrieved the glass of water and handed it to Frisk, who drank it eventually.

"Would you like to talk about your dream?" Habriel asked.

They made of face of contempt. "Sure, I guess..." Toriel listened in, sitting at her table eating breakfast near Marion.  
Habriel sat down on the bed beside them to listen to the nightmare.

"Well, I can only remember some parts. I remember running- and when I looked to my right and left, I saw you guys. We were all running together from something. Then, I heard Iredox's voice. I could hear the metallic sounds his footsteps make from his armor. That's a major part that I remember. Then one of you guys were pulled backwards out of view..." Toriel set Frisk's breakfast on a folding table before them as they told Habriel the nightmare. They began to eat the food gratefully.

"That sounds scary." Habriel said. "Who was it?"

"Well Iredox was the one who pulled them back. Do you mean which one of us was taken? Because I think more than one person would have been taken, but I woke up too fast."

"Oh." Habriel said. "That sounds bad. Well, if he ever comes after us like that. I know we'll be more than ready. With all of us together, nothing can stand in our way." Habriel started giggling. "Who knows, maybe we can just get mom to give him one of her death glares."

Frisk laughed. "Yeah, and she packs a punch, too." Toriel stared at them from across the way, making them shrink back and chuckle.   
"Sorry. It was just scary to me. My head pounded in the dream, too. It was really weird." They continued to eat the eggs on their plate energetically.

Alphys came into the room. "B...before you all came here..." Alphys said. "I uh, took the liberty to check what was going on with Frisk's head. I just got the results."

"Okay." Habriel said. "What's going on with them?"

Toriel looked away from her children and directed her attention to the lizard.   
"Yes? What are the results? I hope they don't affect them too much."

"There's a bit of a fracture around the scalp area of Frisk's skull. A head injury." she said. "They may be a little more sleepy than usual, some swelling of some bruises, their nose may bleed and they could have a stiff neck. All side effects of this kind of injury." she said. 

Frisk finished their breakfast. Toriel's face became less hopeful. "Well, at least it's not detrimental. You'll be alright, my child. Thank you for everything, Alphys." Alphys nodded solemnly in response.   
"So how will they heal? Will they heal on their own, or will they need something like a catalyst to drive the healing process?" She asked the scientist.

"I think it's best if Frisk stays here for a few days." Alphys said. "It's probably a minor injury, but it's better to be safe than sorry." she chuckled to herself. "Have you had trouble breathing, Frisk?" she asked. "Have you felt nauseous?" 

"I can breathe fine," They said, finishing their meal. "But I have felt sort of nauseous and dizzy lately. Like my brain moves a little bit after my actual head does." They tried to make sense of the sensation and explain it in an understandable manner, and Alphys understood. Toriel cleaned up all their plates and sat back down.

"Alright." Alphys said. "Well, since you're staying with me. I'll get you a can with a trash bag in it. Every so often, I'll check up on you. I already have a few exercises planned to help get you better. It'll be a few days, though." 

"O-oh okay," Frisk stammered. Toriel motioned to Habriel and Marion to get ready to go.   
"I trust Alphys; you'll be fine, my child," Toriel reassured them as she sat beside them for a bit. "It'll only be a few days. It won't be too long." She kissed and hugged them goodbye, and she and the other kids left the lab to return to the MTT Resort.  
"What's the trash can for?" Frisk asked as Alphys came around and set the can down beside the bed.

"In case if you do get nauseous." Alphys said. "Trust me, if you do, you'll thank me for this."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well..." Habriel sighed. "Darn.... I hope Frisk gets better soon."

"To tell you both the truth," Toriel said while they walked outside the lab, "I'm furious with Iredox and want to make sure that he cannot harm any of you again. There's simply no way for me to ensure that, though." 

"Oh, believe me." Habriel said. "You aren't alone there." He looked down and clenched his fist. "A part of me wants to subject him to the horrendous pain he's dealt out to others, and send him howling down the abyss."

"If only I could have prevented what's happened to Frisk," Toriel said, almost stopping in her tracks. She continued forward, but her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone. Habriel, Marion, and Toriel reentered the hotel entrance.  
"Wait, weren't you two going to go on a date? No one's stopping you," the mother recalled what they had said previously in the elevator on the way to the lab.

"I mean, it was supposed to be when Frisk felt better...." Habriel said. "But I guess this'll have to do, for now."

"I feel a little bad about them, though." Marion said. "But I guess it'll make the waiting easier..."

"So where on the surface did you wanna go?" Habriel asked.

"I was thinking the top of Mt. Ebott." she said. "It has a beautiful view that I wanna share with you."

"Just be careful," Toriel laughed nervously. 

"We should probably get something more to wear than this." Habriel said. "It'll probably be a little cold up there."

"I think we can find something back at the resort." Marion said.

So they went to find something more to wear so that they were comfortable. Toriel wondered what it would be like to be at the top of Mt. Ebott, like the children were going to do, but she resigned herself to the idea of merely returning to the hotel room to relax for a while.

Habriel walked out of the store with a hooded black cloak to wear over everything in case if it gets windy. Marion walked out with a similar cloak but her's was red. They both presented themselves to Toriel.

"What do you think?" they both asked, smiling.

"They're nice, and what's best is that you'll stay warm," Toriel gave her approval of their new jackets, and her approval to go out. It wasn't just a big deal that they were going out on a date; it was a huge deal that it was going to be on the surface, nonetheless on the mountain summit.

"We should be back by Frisk's bedtime." Habriel said.

"Now, how'll we get out there?" Marion asked.

"I think you already know the answer to that, dear." Habriel said. "The same way you came in, Asgore's castle."

"Alright," Marion took Habriel's hand. "We're going now, Mom," Habriel said.   
"Okay, be back tonight," Toriel waved to them and they began to leave for Asgore's castle.

After quickly explaining their plans to Asgore, the King led them over to the barrier and out to the surface. "Enjoy your night together!" the King waved as they made their way up the path. 

"Thanks!" Habriel shouted back. "You have a good night, too!" Marion grabbed his hand and rushed further up the path with her. The cliff side was a little steep, but nothing that they couldn't handle. They climbed a cliff and started running through the woods, further up the mountain. Laughing and giggling the whole time they were making their way up the mountain. Habriel quickly climbed up a short ledge, turned around and offered a hand to help Marion up. She jumped up and grabbed onto his hand, he then pulled her up and they continued running. What seemed like a long hike was nothing, as these two lovers were enjoying every moment of it. For the first time, they both felt like they were free. It was as if they could do whatever they want in a long time. Marion ran ahead of Habriel over to a steep cliff and sat down. Habriel caught up to her and saw that the view she was talking about was absolutely breathtaking. Through the trees and over the cliff. The mountain was overlooking a small bay with seagulls flying towards the sunset. It had parts of land, seeming to surround the bay, as if preventing it from being with the ocean. There was a tiny opening all the way on the other side that met with it though. The water making a near perfect reflection of the sunset. The sunlight rays beamed onto Marion, making her gleam. Habriel sat down next to her and enjoyed the view with her. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's beautiful." Habriel said. "But I think I know how to get a better view." he looked down at her with a piercing hypnotic gaze. It made her gasp and blush. They kissed for a brief moment.

"Better than this?" she asked. "How?"He stood up and motioned for her to do the same. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist and locked hands.

"You're gonna have to trust me on this one." he said. "And you're gonna have to hold on tight."

"What are you thinking?" Marion asked. His eyes started to glow and violet tentacles wrapped around both of them tightly. 

"Do you trust me?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Then hold on tight, because here...we...go." Violet wings appeared on his back and he took off into the air, lifting her with him. She started screaming, but then it quickly turned into laughter as she realized that the magic had her perfectly secure. Habriel spun around in the air and flew over the bay, towards the sunset. "Better?" he whispered in her ear. 

"Absolutely." she said. She looked up at him and they kissed as he continued to fly over the bay.

Toriel retired to the MTT resort and ate dinner alone in the first floor restaurant. Then she returned to the hotel room upstairs, deciding that she'd stay awake until she saw or heard from her children.

Alphys was getting ready to go to bed, moving Frisk and herself down to the true lab was not something she planned. But she figured that it was better for Frisk to be down there. Suddenly, shs heard loud banging from outside. She looked over to the moniters and saw Iredox with his gang.


	19. Chapter 19

A speaker appeared above the door to the lab outside, catching the gang's attention. It sprung to life.  
As she hurried herself and Frisk down to the true lab, she spoke into a portable speaker she carried that was connected wirelessly to the speaker outside.  
"What are you doing?" Her voice called out to Iredox and the others.

She heard a loud bang amd a crash. She looked around the other moniters and saw he knocked off the door. "It's rude to keep your guests waiting." he said.

More speakers inside the lab continued to run.  
"It's even more rude for g-guests to come uninvited!" She stammered, and the elevator opened up inside the true lab. She rushed Frisk out of the elevator and through some of the rooms to a secluded room on the east wing. It was connected to another room, so there'd be another way out if they needed one. Frisk was wide awake.

Alphys rolled Frisk's bed further and further down the true lab. Making her way closee to the exit. Realizing that she should get some help, she pulled out her phone and called everyone on her contact list in a group chat.

"Hello?" Undyne answered the call from her house.  
"h-HELP!" Alphys cried into the receiver frantically. "Iredox and his gang are in the lab!"

"WHAT!?" Undyne gasped. "I'm on my way!"

Sans ans Papyrus both held their phones silently. Contemplating on whether or not they should get involved.

"ARE YOU GOING TO-"  
"yeah, i'll go. stay here." Sans waved and teleported away from the house, leaving his worried brother to sit and wait for him to get back once again. Sans appeared in front of the lab and entered just as Undyne ran over to join him.

Habriel and Marion made it back to Toriel's room back at the resort. "Children..." she muttered. 

"I know..." Habriel said. He sat Marion down on the bed. He never took his cloak off. In fact, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two things. A ball mask which he put on and a black bandanna. He tied it around his mouth, covering his entire face. "I'm going to."

"Uhh... do be safe," Toriel called before he left. "Sorry for being a broken record, my child." She smiled nervously, waving for him to go if he wanted to. "Are you going to stay, my child?" She turned, acknowledging Marion.

Habriel pulled the hood over his head and looked over the railing of the balcony. "Ummm....child...." Toriel muttered. "The door's the other way..." Habriel turned around.

"I'm a little too conspicuous to be walking out the front door." Habriel said. "Don't you think?" He climbed on the railing and turned to face Toriel and Marion. "I'll be back with Frisk, I promise." he said. Before leaning back over the railing. 

Toriel's eyes widened and she yelled, but he was already gone. Marion was also shocked; she remained in one place, having watched him fall backwards off the balcony. Toriel rushed out to look down, and she saw he was fine; she watched as he began to run in the direction of the lab.

Habriel made it to the Dr. Alphys' lab and saw Undyne out the front door fighting a couple bandits from Iredox's gang. His eyes started to glow and he threw his hand outward, launching a couple violet blades at the bandits. Catching both them, and Undyne by surprise. Habriel used those blades to stab those monsters in their legs before jumping behind them and making them headbutt each other, knocking them out.

Iredox took this time to enter the elevator and smashed the button to the true lab. The elevator began its decent...  
Alphys and Frisk waited quietly inside a side room, hoping not to be found. At this point, of course, Frisk would not sleep until the bandits and Iredox were gone and they were safe and less paranoid.  
Iredox prepared to leave the elevator as it was almost finished descending.

Alphys quickly turned off the power to the lab when she heard the elevator descending. Causing Iredox to be stuck inside. Undyne and Habriel saw the lights of the lab turn off from the outside. A couple bandits rushed out, running in fear before a couple bones came flying out of the lab, knocking them out too. 

"heh. glad i got here when i did." Sans revealed himself, relieving Habriel and Undyne. "where's iredox? i thought he was here." "Did you see him, Habriel?" Undyne inquired, not having seen him in the short battle.  
"Uh no, I didn't..." Habriel proceeded inside the lab, looking around for any traces or signs of the warrior's presence.

Habriel, Undyne and Sans slowly made their way into the lab. Habriel held out a hand and formed a ball of light, to help them see. Sans had already dealt with most of Iredox's gang. However, the big boss himself was nowhere to be found.

"You'd think he'd be the first person we'd find." Habriel said. "Unless...." he looked up and widened his eyes in shock. Realizing where the monster could be. 

"where's the elevator?" Sans interjected and pointed to the empty elevator shaft. "Wouldn't it have come back up to this floor?" Undyne asked, confused.   
"Well, the power's off," Habriel commented.

A loud roar with the sound of metal being torn apart came from the elevator shaft. "That....can't be good...." Habriel said. 

Undyne pulled out a spear and clenched it at her side, watching the wires holding the elevator begin to shake and sway back and forth from movement below. Sans formed some bones in preparation as well.   
" 's that iredox?" Sans whispered, watching the wires threaten to snap.

The wires finally snapped, causing the elevator to fall and a loud crash was heard from the bottom. Now, whatever was down there could be heard pounding away at a door. "I think it's a safe bet to say yes..." Habriel said. 

"But where's Alphys and Frisk?" Undyne asked. She ran over to look down the length of the elevator shaft, and it was difficult to see the top of the elevator carriage from where she stood. Not much light could reach down there; she stepped back.  
"I can't see anything down there... do you think they're okay?"

"if i were a betting skeleton..." Sans said. "i'd say it's safe to assume that they're also down there...."

"Which is why we don't have time to waste." Habriel said, walking over to the shaft. He picked up a metal pipe from the ground and pried the doors open, just enough for one person to fit through. 

Sans formed a couple Gaster Blasters which floated over and pried the doors wide and held them in that position.   
"here, kid," Sans' eye glowed a brilliant blue. "you guys go first. i'll come after." Undyne leapt down first onto the roof of the elevator carriage, and Habriel soon followed her. 

Before he realized it, Sans was already behind him. The skeleton was too lazy to jump down, so he teleported instead. Undyne made a spear and pried open the escape hatch the elevator had, where they each carefully went through, making sure to not make a sound. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alphys and Frisk were both hiding in one of the air vents of the room. The scientist could feel her heart pound as Iredox made his way in the room. The monster eerily approached the scientist's desk and carefully read the notes. "It has to be here..." the monster mumbled to himself.

They all made it inside and saw that the doors were not opened electronically, but manually; the metal was pried open and warped, some of it peeled away in large sections as if the rider absolutely had to get out. The person had to be strong; the only culprit was Iredox. Sans peered out into the dark lab floor, and motioned for Undyne and Habriel to follow him out. They walked silently and listened for auditory indicators of the warrior's presence.

The monster went over to another part of Alphys' lab and opened a hidden compartment. "Found them...." the monster eerily chuckled to himself. Alphys adjusted her glasses and saw that the monster was holding a box full of the Determination syringes. The monster was about to leave, but he paused. He turned around and stuck out a snake like tongue. Then, he looked straight at the air vent that Alphys and Frisk were hiding in with bloodshot eyes. "Found you...." he smiled. He was getting ready to breathe more of that infernal poison. Playfully sticking his tongue out, while doing so. Just when the cloud of poison was about to come out. A violet beam of light, emerged out of the ground beneath his feet and forced his mouth shut, causing the monster to bite off his own tongue. The long tongue could be seen wriggling on the ground. Enraged, the monster turned around to see a hooded boy with two masks, covering his face. 

Frisk and Alphys hugged each other in the cold metal vent and watched Habriel appear behind their pursuer after he cut off his tongue. Iredox hissed at the boy with the masks in a rage, and Sans and Undyne appeared behind Habriel.

"YOU!" Iredox growled with blood pouring out of his mouth. "YOU'RE DEAD!!"

"Little payback..." Habriel said. "That one was for Frisk..."

Frisk peeked out from the folds of Alphys' lab coat through the vent slats at Habriel and smiled slightly.  
Undyne stepped out to the right of Habriel.   
"Why are you still harassing people?!" She growled.

"You idiot!" Iredox snapped. "What, you think I'm here to pay the doctor a visit?" he asked. "Come in for my check up? No, I want something she has." He held out the Determination syringes in the air. "And now I've found it.." His magical tentacles stretched out from his back and went flying towards Undyne, Habriel and Sans.

Undyne held her spear and arms in front of her body to block the attack, but a violet shield appeared around the three of them, formed by Habriel. The attack dissipated on the surface of the shield, and it disappeared after the attack did. Alphys slid something out from one of her coat pockets; it seemed to be a laser. She told Frisk to remain inside the vent, and as Frisk told her not to go, she kicked open the vent cover, wielding the laser towards Iredox.

"Th-that's mine! Give it back!" She commanded sheepishly.

Iredox turned heel and ran towards the wall. He extended his claws and with all of his strength. He tore the wall open, making his own exit from the lab. He ran out to where reinforcements of his gang were waiting for him.

Alphys yelled and shot the laser in his direction with her eyes clamped shut as he entered the hole in the wall that he tore.  
Habriel, Sans, and Undyne were already running to see out through the hole to see how large a fight this would become, when they spotted the rest of Iredox's cowardly gang waiting for him.

"Now you two!" Iredox commanded. Habriel, Undyne, Sans, and Alphys were all confused. Unaware of who he was addressing. Two cat monsters descended from the roof of the lab and landed right in front of him. One had white hair with a couple black smudges on the forehead. His hair was way more thick than his skinny female counter partx who had grey hair instead. "You know why I hired you." Iredox said. "Get to work." the two cat monsters turned around and pulled out daggers, facing his pursuers.

"heh. a couple cats, eh? wonder if they have nine lives?" Sans laughed a bit at his own joke and formed a Gaster Blaster and aimed at them. Alphys scooted skittishly over besides her girlfriend and Sans and Habriel, wanting to help them fight, retrieve the Determination, and protect Frisk.  
Iredox left the premises shortly with the other bandits. Frisk watched, wondering how they would get the Determination back now, and for what purpose would Iredox use it.

Undyne charged forward, spear in hand. Causing the cats to smile. They flanked her from two different directions and overwhelmed her with all sorts of unpredictable attacks. Undyne hissed, dropping to her knees as the cats played with their daggers, chuckling at their prey.

A Gaster Blaster shot out a blast at one of the cats to get them away from Undyne, but they avoided it.  
He continued to attack them with bones and blasters as Habriel watched. He was going to try to attack them as soon as Sans was finished. Alphys didn't know what to do and clutched her laser shakily.

Even for cats, these two were particularly quick and agile. They jumped over and avoided bones coming from all directions. They were about to flank Sans too. Until Undyne sucker punched one of them. The other hissed at Undyne and helped her partner up, getting ready to fight again.

Habriel shot out purple daggers as they stood up, making them leap out of the way again. If they were down, it was easier to aim at them. Frisk moved from one vent cover to the next to get a good vantage point of the battle.

They watched Habriel, Sans and Undyne struggle to fight the agile cats. As if it weren't bad enough, Iredox decided he wanted to step in....

Frisk blinked in disbelief. "Watch out!" They screamed from inside the vent and it reverberated out into the room. Iredox stopped when he heard their voice from inside the vent at the wall. He moved beside the fight and walked over to the vent as the fighters watched.

Habriel quickly threw a dagger at Iredox's back. Distracting him from Frisk. The monster charged forward, trying to grab the young boy. Habriel managed to move out of the way in time.

Frisk continued to move between air vent covers, watching Habriel evade Iredox's attacks barely. Alphys continued to shoot her laser at Iredox, careful to aim away from Habriel as they moved.

Iredox launched one last tentacle. Habriel materialized a sword and cut through the tentacle. The female cat monster sweeped Habriel's feet from behind, knocking him on his back. Before he could get up, she extended her claws by his throat. 

"Let's not do anything reckless, sweetie..." she purred. 

Alphys shot the cat on Habriel in the back with laser beams, making it shriek and hiss in pain and anger. Habriel got up just as the cat went after Alphys, who ran screaming. She shot multiple times behind her, missing the cat each time. Habriel chased the cat as it followed her.

Habriel waved his hand and knocked the cat off balance. Before she could move, violet chains emerged from the ground, keeping her trapped there. The other cat gasped and got hit by a bone. Spitting some blood while hissing, he ran over to his partner and extended his claws. Orange magic emerged from the claws, cutting through the chains. He helped her up, threw a smoke bomb and they both vanished, leaving Iredox by himself.

Alphys skidded to a stop, gasping and panting from the wild chase. The cats were gone; all they needed to do was get the Determination and make Iredox leave the lab. She aimed at Iredox's head, a little less shaky than before.   
"Please give me back that Determination," She requested once again. She was getting tired of these games.

Iredox started laughing at the scientist. "Sorry, buddy." he said. "But I didn't come all this way for nothing." 

"You don't get a choice!" Undyne snapped while throwing a spear. One of Iredox's tentacles caught it and broke it in half.

"Dead wrong on this one, pipsqueak." he said. His men surrounded him, making it impossible for anyone to reach him. They quickly escorted him out, back to their hideout.

Alphys dropped to her knees on the cold tile floor in the wake of Iredox's exit. The Determination was gone. What she had worked hard for. What helped keep Habriel living.

"Damn it!" Habriel rushed forward, going after Iredox anyway. However when he took one more step, an orange rune started glowing underneath his feet. His eyes widened in shock and his heart skipped a beat. He teleported back, just in time before it blew up, causing that part of the path to fall into the lava down below. 'Courtesy of one of those cats..' Habriel thought to himself. 'A second later, and I might of....' he shuddered, thinking about what could have happened.


	20. Chapter 20

"Wait there might still be time," Alphys' face lit up with hope. She unlatched the vent cover and reached inside, pulling Frisk out and setting them down. "If we can get upstairs soon, we might be able to trap them or trip them up with my controls on the core layout." She moved to the elevator doorway to see the destroyed machine. "But how to get up there now?"

"Can't." Undyne said. "Their hideout is back at the Waterfall. We'd just be wasting our time." She pounded her fist into the ground out of frustration.

"You think they're there already? That fast?" It shocked Alphys; she wanted to at least believe they had a chance to get them before they got away. 

"Even if we catch up to them, we'd have to deal with all those gangsters." Undyne explained. "It'd be a massacre." 

Habriel clenched his stomach for a second. Even though he avoided the blast. He still felt the shock wave a little bit. Looking down, he saw a little blood leaking out of his shirt. He covered it with his hand in an attempt to hide it for a couple seconds.

"I meant that we could trip them up by staying here and changing the layout of the core outside..." Alphys murmured, deciding it wasn't worth it to continue as the conversation was going.   
Frisk ran over to Habriel, noticing that something was wrong. They made a worried expression towards him.

"I'm sorry, Alphys..." Undyne said, placing a hand on the scientist's shoulder. 

"Are you okay?" Frisk asked Habriel.

Habriel quickly turned a little to the side. "Yeah, I'm fine!" Habriel laughed and smiled. He realized there was no point in smiling as he remembered he was wearing two masks. 

Skywardsister:

"But, Habriel," Frisk whispered, alluding to the blood he was trying to hide. "You need help!" They said in a panicked, hushed tone.

Habriel held his head down. No longer hiding it. "Show me!" Frisk demanded, stomping their foot. Habriel lifted their shirt and showed that he had tied his wounds with his old violet one. He untied it and showed multiple open wounds to Frisk. The little kid widened their eyes in shock and gasped. There were about five or six openings across his stomach area. All bleeding profusely.

They checked inside their pockets and pulled out their trusty handkerchief, hastily trying to cover over some of the open wounds.   
The handkerchief was not large enough to cover every injury.

"Frisk..." Habriel muttered. 

"What were you thinking!?" Frisk snapped, causing Habriel to jump. "Why would you try to hide this from me?" Habriel didn't answer. "How long have you had this?"

"Since..." Habriel broke his silence. "Since our first encounter with Iredox...." he held his head in shame.

"Since the first time?!" Frisk stepped back and stared at Habriel. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Why not Mom?"  
Frisk continued the fruitless task of covering his stomach with the cloth from their pocket.

"I..." Habriel sighed. "I didn't want to be a burden on any of you. Besides, it's bad enough that you're going through that head injury. I didn't want everyone to start worrying over me, too..."

"You may not wanna be a burden to us, but you hiding your injuries makes it worse," Frisk sighed and shook their head in a troubled manner. "Why don't we tell Mom and Marion what this is all about?"

"Alright..." Habriel said. "If you say so...."

"already texted her." Sans said, holding his phone in the air. 

"Well..." Habriel sighed. "So much for dragging it out..."

"alright, well, we should get outta here," Sans put his phone away and pointed back to the destroyed elevator.   
"how do you guys wanna do this?" His eye turned blue. "i can try to float people up the shaft."  
Undyne picked up Alphys under her arms which made her turn a red hue. "I could carry Alphy up with me." 

"you know what?" Sans said. "let's take one of my shortcuts."

"Shortcuts?" Habriel asked. 

Sans motioned for everyone to grab onto him. "you think kaizer's the only one who can do this?" Everyone grabbed onto him and his eye glowed blue again. Everyone was already back at the upper floor of Alphys' lab. 

"Ugh I'm going to have to fix this sometime..." Alphys paced back and forth glancing at the elevator shaft now and then, preoccupied. "Can't believe it." "It's okay, Alphy," Undyne pat her on the back gently. "I know you can do it! You're a great engineer!" She smiled.

"kid, you wanna find iredox?" Sans asked Habriel. "you think we could get the determination back for alphys?"

Habriel looked down at his wound and over at Frisk. "I would say yes..." Habriel said. "But I think I'm already in big trouble." 

Sans shrugged. "no worries, kid." he said. 

The skeleton tossed him a monster candy, which he caught and ate graciously. The wounds would already be healing up by the food; he just had to wait.   
"alright, we can go when you're ready."

"Alright..." Habriel said he looked down at Frisk again, then back at Sans. "Let's go." He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. It was a text message from Toriel.

'Come back....' it said. Those two words were more than enough to make Habriel sweat. 

"Hey, Sans..." Habriel said. "What exactly did you tell her?"

"Hey, lemme see," Frisk stood on their tip-toes until Habriel lowered his device, allowing them to see the text from their mother. "Huh? Why'd she text that?" They asked, puzzled.

"i kinda already told her about the wound...." Sans admitted. "sorry bout that."

"Well, I'm a little too scared to argue with her, right now." Habriel said. "Can you text her again and tell her I'm fine?"

"it's kinda late to take something like that back now, kiddo..." Sans responded. Frisk looked back at the text and sighed. "I'll at least go back," They suggested.

"Mom would kill me if I just let you go by yourself." Habriel said. "I'll see what she has to say and I'll meet up with Sans afterwards..." Sans nodded. 

"i'll meetcha outside the resort." Sans winked and then vanished. Sans held Frisk's hand and went on back to the resort themselves. 

****************************************************************************************************

Habriel took off his masks and hood by the time they got back. Heading closer and closer, Habriel managed to see both Toriel and Marion waiting for them from within the lobby. Neither of them looked too happy. Habriel sighed and let go of Frisk's hand as Marion marched through the doors and towards Habriel, with Toriel closely behind. Frisk sat down on a nearby bench. Marion looked rather distressed as she marched towards Habriel. 

Habriel nervously scratched his head. "Marion, I-" before he could finish his sentence she slapped him across the face. Causing Toriel and Frisk to gasp. He held onto the hand print for a second and sighed. "Yeah....I deserved that..."

"You're damn right, you do." Marion growled. "How could you hide that from us!?" she snapped. "Show me!" Habriel held his head in shame as he lifted his shirt. The monster food managed to stop the bleeding, but the gaping wounds were still there, all across his stomach. Marion gasped and started to tear up.

"I thought you were done hiding things, Habriel!" Marion said, pushing him. "You said you were done before we left the cathedral! How could you do something so stupid!?"

"I don't know..." Habriel muttered.

"You've gotta stop it with the tough guy act!" she said. "It'll only get you killed."

"I'm sorry.." Habriel said. She started crying and she hugged him. 

"I wouldn't know what to do if I lost you..." she whimpered. "Please, Habriel...please stop hiding things from me, from us...."

He hugged her and gently stroked her hair. "Of course..." he muttered. 

Frisk half rolled their eyes in the background, watching Marion.   
"It also doesn't help to hurt him more," They droned, making Marion jump off of Habriel and shoot a stare at the sarcastic child. Toriel also shot a reproachful glance, but Frisk had already gotten the message.

"She's right, Frisk..." Habriel said. "I tried to hide things about myself from her before we left the cathedral. I promised her that I'd stop that." He hugged her again. "I broke my promise, and I'm sorry..."

"I just don't wanna lose you..." she hid her face underneath his cloak, he felt his shirt get a little wet from her tears.

"You won't." he said. He motioned for her to look him in the eyes. "I can take care of myself." he said. "Now more than ever. We've also got mom and Frisk, too. They won't let anything happen to me." She calmed down and sat on a bench. 

"Yeah!" Frisk stood up on the bench. "If anyone seriously hurt you, I'd... I'd... give 'em the uh business." Their threat became weak and meaningless by their tone, and they all laughed.   
"Child, if anything, I'd give the attacker 'the business,'" Toriel chuckled, ruffling Frisk's hair.

Sans appeared behind from the lobby. "sup, kid." he said. "ready to go?"

"Yeah." Habriel said. 

"Where are you going?" Marion asked. 

"Iredox went to Alphys' lab for the Determination." Habriel explained. "He managed to get it and escaped. Sans and I plan on going to get it back for Alphys."

"What?! Wait, shouldn't I have a say in this?!" Toriel exclaimed, tired of her son running off to fight battles which she doesn't know he'll come back from. 

"tori...." Sans muttered.

"No." Toriel snapped. "Habriel, I think you've done more than enough tonight."

"Mother..." Habriel muttered.

"I'm sick of seeing you running out there risking your life everyday!" she said.

"But Alphys needs that Determination! It's important and she worked really hard to get it!" Habriel kept his ground, not wanting to let Alphys down. "She's been willing to help me live until now, and that Determination is what has helped all this time!"

"Fine..." Toriel said. "But on one condition."

Taken aback by the leniency, Habriel widened his eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna let you get hurt." she said. "The three of us will go together."

Sans looked between the two of them.   
"th' three of us? alright. just make sure frisk gets back to the room and we can go anytime."   
Toriel herded the stubborn child and Marion back inside and upstairs to their room in the resort and returned shortly.  
"Alright."

"Excuse me." a light voice called out to the group of three. "Can you help me? I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" Habriel asked without turning around.

"Young boy." she said. "White hair, violet eyes." Habriel turned around.

"Why would you-" he gasped and almost fell back on Toriel. His eyes widened in shock. He hadn't seen this face in years.

"What's wrong, child?" Toriel asked.

"A-Aliyah?" Habriel gasped.

"W-what? I-" Toriel put a hand on Habriel's shoulder and the other on her face.   
"I thought... how is this possible? Habriel?" She turned, dumbfounded. Sans stared at the girl.

"Aliyah.." Habriel choked. "H-how?"

"It's uh....been a while." Aliyah nervously giggled. "Bro..."

'Bro!?' Habriel thought. 'She's never called me that...' He took a step forward. "Can you repeat that?" he asked.

"I said it's been a while, bro." she chirped. No one noticed, but Habriel shook out of his trance. 

"This might sound weird, but...." Habriel muttered. "Can you repeat what you said to me, on the day you died..."

The girl paused, almost confused for a second, but then sighed and smiled. "Why it was 'I love you', of course." Habriel smiled.

"You actually got it right....It's....been so long...." Habriel said. He took another step forward. "Can.....can I have a hug?" he stuttered. She smiled and slowly approached him, with her arms wide open. He smiled getting ready to hug her. But then, suddenly. He punched her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for air while dropping to her knees. Suddenly she glowed white for a couple seconds. The light faded and it was revealed to be the female cat assassin. 

"But..." the cat gasped. "You said I got the right words..."

"I lied!" Habriel snapped. He kicked her in the face, knocking her on her back. She spat blood, looking up at him. "What kind of fool do you take me for?" he asked. "My sister back from the dead after seven long years? And somehow, she managed to find me all the way in the Underground, a place I didn't even know exist a month ago." The cat hissed at him. "And on top of that." he said. "Not only did she manage to find out I'm in the Underground. She managed to figure out that I'm at the MTT resort instead of the ruins."

"What were the words?" the cat asked curiously. Habriel pulled out his necklace.

"'With this necklace.'" he said. "'We'll be bound together, forever. Even after I'm gone, I will always be there with you. I will be there to comfort you when things go bad. Know this, no matter how much suffering you go through, there will always be someone there for you. Someone who cares about you.'" He took a step forward. "What a sad and pathetic joke you were trying to pull." he said. "A joke I've heard the punchline to before..." he held out a hand and materialized a violet sword and pointed it at the cat monster. "It goes a bit like this, right?" he growled.

"WAIT!" Another voice called out from above. Habriel looked up and saw the other cat monster jump down from above and he dropped to his knees as soon as he reached the ground. "Don't kill her!" the male begged. "Please! She's the only thing I care about in this world!"

Sans frowned. Toriel bore her teeth at the fowl creatures.  
"Yeah? Well what if I went around pretending to be her after she died? How'd you feel about that, huh?!" Habriel interrogated, his violet eyes burning passionately. "How would you feel?!"

"Please, I beg you!" the cat whailed.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HEARD THAT!?" Habriel screamed. "HOW MANY PEOPLE DROPPED TO THEIR KNEES AND PLEADED THE SAME WORDS TO YOU!?"

"Please..." the cat whimpered. Habriel sighed.

"You have no idea how lucky you are." he said. "I'm not gonna lower myself to your level." His sword disappeared. "I'm better than you!" he announced. He turned around. "Take her and get out of here." he hissed. "I never want to see the two of you again." 

"Right!" the male cat gasped. "Of course, thank you so much!" he picked up his lover over his shoulder and they left just as quickly as they appeared. After they were gone, Habriel dropped to his knees, crying.

Crying a bit as well, Toriel dropped down and embraced him, sorry he had to ever experience something like that. It was sick. People should honor the dead, not mock them; but there they were, plain as day, imitating Habriel's long-gone sister. Sans sighed and sat down on the bench, watching them with his chin in his hands.  
"i'm sorry, kid," Sans muttered.

"How stupid do they think I am?" Habriel growled. "I had a front row seat to her last moment. I was the last person she held hands with. I'm the one who heard her whisper her last words into my ear." he tried to wipe away the tears. "I heard her last breath, and they insult both her and me with that little stunt..."

Eventually, Toriel dried Habriel's and her eyes and suggested that he wait to pursue Iredox until a later date. Sans nodded, approving of the idea.

"Alright..." Habriel said. "I'm pretty tired after all..." He tried to get up but grunted in pain and sat back down. He lifted his shirt and saw that his wounds were bleeding again. "Damn, all that excitement got it bleeding again..."

Toriel took out some bandages and patched up his torso, leading him inside the hotel doors after bidding Sans goodnight. Sans returned to his house in Snowdin. Toriel and Habriel stood silently together in the elevator, awaiting their arrival to the correct floor.

Habriel sighed and looked up at Toriel. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

"I... I'm tired, my child. Tired of worrying that I'll lose you all. But that's not your fault. It's Iredox's and Chara's."

Habriel looked down at his feet. "I feel the same way." he said. "I've already seen it before. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if any of you were taken from this world."

"It's funny." Toriel said. "There was a time when I wouldn't allow myself to get attached to children such as yourself. Because I knew that one day they would leave and I would lose them. But seeing you, Marion and Frisk all together. It resparked those feelings I've so longed for. It gives me hope that despite everything you will succeed." Habriel looked up and saw her smiling. "Thank you." she said. "Despite everything, I'm not afraid to care anymore. I don't have to detach myself anymore."

"And even when you do grow up," She said, eyes welling up as she looked at her son. "I won't be losing you; you'll still have me to root for you and be there when you need." She hugged him as the elevator slowed to a stop on the correct floor.

He hugged her back. He wanted to enjoy the moment a little longer, but the doors slowly creaked open. Habriel and Toriel walked inside their room to see Frisk and Marion watching a movie together. 

Frisk was laughing and pointing at the television when they appeared in the doorway, which was first noticed by Marion.   
"You're back!" Marion said and walked over to greet them as they closed the door. "You decided to wait to go find that Determination?"

"Yeah." Habriel said. "A lot happened just outside of the resort. If I hadn't realized what was going on....."

"What happened?" Frisk became concerned. Habriel came and sat down beside them to explain things; they paused the movie.   
"We encountered those cats again," He said, frustrated. "The girl pretended to be my sister, Aliyah."

"How's that possible?" Frisk asked.

"I don't know." he said. "But when she had on that disguise. It was the spitting image of my sister. And to make things even more unsettling, it had her voice as well. If I hadn't figured out that it was a fake, I don't think I'd be here, right now." he shuddered.

"How'd you figure it out?" Marion asked.

"Originally, I fell for it." he said. "But then she called me 'little brother', something Aliyah never addressed me as. I went over in my head at how any of this could be possible and came up with no logical conclusion. So I tested her. I made her guess what Aliyah's last words were. I pretended like she got the right answer, even though she was dead wrong in order to lower her guard. Right up till the last moment, my heart raced, knowing she could pounce on me at any time. So I took the initiative, and things turned out for the better."

Marion and Frisk shuddered. He could have been long gone all while they sat up here watching a movie. Both hugged him.  
That night, they ate dinner in the restaurant they ate at before, and went back up for sleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Habriel's dream was less than cheeful. A shadowy figure loomed over him as he wad tied to a table in a place he was unfamiliar with. He was well aware that the figuere was performing surgery on him, carefully removing organs and placing crystals where they used to be. He wanted to scream, but couldn't. It felt like he was drowning in some black liquid leaking out of his mouth and eyes. He shot out of bed, hyperventilating, and waking up Marion. Marion bolted upright, almost knocking Habriel off the bed. "What? What's wrong?" She seemed alarmed, but that was since all was quiet until he woke her. "Did you remember something? Did something happen?" She asked him quickly.

"Sorry..." Habriel said. "It was just a nightmare."

"Oh, sweeite..." Marion asked. "It must have been a thoroughbred, you don't fret easily..." she hugged him and comforted him. "It's okay." she said. "I'm here now."

He snorted a bit, trying not to wake the others. "Wow um that joke." They snickered quietly.  
"Okay, tell me what the nightmare was about. Don't tell me it was about the cats..."

"Wish it was." he said. "Someone was performing surgery on me, but I was awake. I also remember drowning, but that's about it."

"Yeah." she giggled. "Those two things don't really mix well."

"But seriously," She looked around the room, as if to check that nobody had snuck inside. "I wonder if these nightmares you and Frisk have been having are a direct cause of your encounters with danger recently. I hope not."

"I don't think so." he said. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" she asked. 

"I want you to start a fight with me and take a look at my soul." he said. Reluctantly, she nodded her head and faced him. She could see his soul floating around just fine. However, she opened her eyes in horror when she looked at him. A violet apparition of a man she'd never seen before was standing behind Habriel. The man wore a black cloak made of feathers, hiding most of his body. All she could see from him was the long white hair extending from the hood with the ends being black. The apparition also had the most unsettling smile as it caressed Habriel's cheeks and leaned over his shoulder. The man looked human, despite the weird appearance. However the hands touching Habriel were completely skeletal. Habriel had no idea, what was going on. He neither saw nor felt anything.

She froze, watching the form over his shoulder. "What? What's wrong?" Habriel inquired, watching Marion.   
"There's the figure of a man... he's at your shoulder," She whispered, shivering. She didn't understand why, but she felt she had to keep quiet so as not to get noticed by him. 

Habriel turned around and saw nothing. Yet for Marion, it was plain as day for her to see. "We should show Toriel." she said.

"You can't see it, but he's behind you. He's behind your soul, like he... doesn't live on this plane of existence."  
She stared, mesmerized. Who is this? How could this happen?

"Alright..." Habriel raised an eyebrow. "We can either wake up Toriel and Frisk and get them to look at it, or we can wait till the morning. If you think it's serious, I'll go wake them up."

"I... yes, maybe. Let's wake them. Sorry."  
She kept her eye on the form for a bit longer until she left the fight and went to wake up the others.  
First, she went over to Toriel to wake her. Certainly she would know something about it.

"What is it, child?" Toriel asked. She slowly got up and wiped her eyes.

"It's hard to explain." Marion said. "Habriel's not in any danger, but something happens if you start a fight with him. I did so to look at his soul, and well...you might want to see for yourself."

"Start a fight? Alright," She began the fight to look at what they were scared about. Then she saw the man. Her eyes widened as she watched him stand near Habriel's soul. She didn't understand; nobody has ever only existed as a spirit, to her knowledge. It was not normal.

"What do you guys see?" Habriel asked. "What's it look like?" The man gave Toriel the most unsettling smile possible and even started to chuckle.

"Did you hear that, child?" she asked.

"I don't hear anything." he said. 

"My child, the man is leaning over your shoulder and chuckling..." Habriel's face drained and he remained still.  
"Who are you?" Toriel decided to try to speak to the figure; she thought it was worth a try, since he was looming over her son. "What are your intentions?"

The figure didn't respond. He just kept chuckling. "Maybe.." Habriel paused. "Maybe if we had that book I got from the library....we could figure something out."

"I don't feel comfortable just leaving this the way it is... but I don't think we can just go over there now...." Toriel paced the room, exiting the battle. "He doesn't seem to be doing anything but leaning over you and chuckling. What can we do?"

"Is there a library at the castle?" Habriel asked. "An archive, anything at all."

"Yes, my child, but once again, what time is it?" Frisk shuffled over and looked at the clock.   
"It's no time to be awake," Toriel stated. She seemed conflicted on what they should do about the man. They couldn't go to the library or castle at this time, but she worried now constantly that the man would do something behind their backs. How long had he been there?

"Yeah..." Habriel looked down. "Perhaps in the morning. I doubt he just got here. I bet if he could do anything to me, he'd have done it by now."

Frisk started a fight to look at him. They shuddered at the apparition's appearance, but also felt something cold run along their spine. "So much negative energy..." they said. "I can't even describe it...."

They watched him stare, smile, and sway slightly. He looked at Habriel, then back to Frisk.   
"He knows I'm watching him. It's like it's a game." They gritted their teeth, glaring at him warily. "What are you planning?" They whispered under their breath.

The apparition didn't answer. It continued to caress Habriel who was unaware. It gave a large, unsettling, toothy grin. Unnerving Frisk to no end.

Their hair stood up on-end, and they tensed up and began to sweat. The sight unnerved them.   
They quit the battle again, sitting down on their bed looking away from Habriel. 

Habriel walked over and placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "You okay?" he asked. "No pun intended, but you look like you've seen a ghost."

"He's really creepy," They shivered when Habriel touched their shoulder. " 'Ts like he could just smile at you for hours. Like he knows just enough about something that you wanted to hide. I don't want him here." 

"And I thought Chara was creepy..." Habriel shuttered. "Something tells me we hardly scratched the surface. Maybe the question isn't 'what', but 'why'? Why is he like this? Why is he with me? Why can't I see him?" 

Toriel slid over the bed to look at the bright red numbers of the clock again. "Children, it's very late, and though we all are worried, we don't have a solution right now and need rest. We can try to find out more tomorrow." She gestured for them all to return to bed, and they did, paranoid.

Everyone got up early that morning, riding down the elevator, they were gonna eat at the restaurant and proceed to the library at Asgore's castle. They were just leaving the elevator and were making their way to the host by the podium when Habriel turned and saw Kaizer slowly approach them. 

"Kaizer!" Habriel gasped. "What's up?" he asked with a smile. Kaizer smiled back and started giggling. Habriel looked over at him strangely and before he knew it, Kaizer threw a bone spear in his direction. Habriel quickly threw up a violet shield, protecting everyone from the sudden attack. "What are you doing?" Habriel snapped. 

Kaizer continued to laugh and looked at Habriel dead in the eyes. The skeleton's eyes were red, not green. Habriel knew this could only mean one thing. "CHARA!" he growled. The skeleton cackled and laughed obnoxiously. 

"I'd say 'in the flesh', but I'd be lying." they laughed. 

Toriel yelled, grabbing Marion and Frisk and pulling them backwards towards herself as Habriel deflected the spear with his shield. It was a wonder how his reactions were so quick; they would be in trouble if he didn't put up the shield in time.   
"Come on, Chara, we can't deal with you right now. We have enough on our plates." Habriel scowled at Kaizer's form.

"That's why there's no better time, than right now." they giggled. "But come now, you know what I want. Just hand over Frisk, and we things don't get ugly."

Habriel laughed at the demon child. "You and I both know that I won't take you up on that offer." he pointed towards the door. "Since things are gonna get ugly, at least do everyone a favor and take this outside. Because if you want Frisk, you're gonna have to go through me."

Chara laughed. "Alright, fine." they said. "I'll get Frisk. It doesn't matter when, it doesn't matter where. I'll entertain myself for a bit."

Frisk stared, stock still. They knew it would happen again sometime, but they couldn't believe it. Chara was fighting their family for them again. As Habriel started to challenge Chara, Toriel slid in front of her child to protect them. They couldn't comprehend the trouble they were causing their family.

Habriel took down his shield and motioned for Chara to follow him. Frisk and the others watched as Habriel led Chara outside, bravely marching off to battle again. 

"Wait!" Frisk yelled from behind their mother, making them all stop in surprise.   
"Please, Chara," They begged; they were tired of everything. "Don't fight him. If I go with you, will you leave them alone?" They stepped out sideways from behind Toriel to get a look at their adversary.

"See, I would..." Chara said. "But I'm incredibly bored. Besides, it like I said. I'll get you no matter what. It doesn't matter when, it doesn't matter where. So I'll gladly take your soul. Right after I take his." they gave the most demonic smile Frisk had ever seen.

With a boiling mixture of anger and fear, they shouted, "JUST TAKE MY SOUL ALREADY AND LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

"Who are you to give a demon orders?" Chara asked. "Since when were you the one in control?" Chara took the lead this time. Having Habriel follow them outside of the resort. Frisk dropped to their knees, crying. Chara was right, since when was Frisk the one in control? Frisk walked over to see the fight, knowing there was no point in trying to run away. Habriel stood across from Chara who was smiling.

Habriel's eyes began to glow. "Let's just get this over with." he growled. He threw his hand in the air and multiple violet spears flew in the air. They scattered and punctured the ground all around outside. Chara laughed and pulled out a bone spear which was glowing red. Habriel threw his hand again in a slashing motion. A violet beam rushed to Chara who was getting ready to dodge it. Habriel teleported behind them and kicked them towards the slash, catching them off guard. They got hit and hissed in pain. Habriel shot a beam of light from behind knocking her in the middle of the circle of spears. He snapped his fingers and the spears started cackling with violet electricity. They looked over to him shocked.

"That-that's my attack!" they gasped.

"Yeah, I was awake the entire time you possessed me." he said. "One good thing about that is that you accidentally taught me a couple new tricks." the spears glowed brighter and before Chara could do anything. They all shot violet electricity at them, causing a cloud of smoke to appear.

They stood up after the shock, trying to get their bearings. Chara was unsure of whether they should be furious that he dared to use their attacks against them, or happy that the fight would be more interesting than they previously anticipated. They grinned wide in anger, huffing.

"I'm just getting started." Habriel said. His wings materialized and he took off into the air. Chara anticipated that he'd use one of his own attacks, but instead, a beam of lignt came out from under their feet, knocking them into the air. Habriel flew towards them, materialized a sword and slashed them in the middle of the air. They fell back onto the ground. Spitting blood, both wrists got pierced with something sharp. They were blades attached to chains. Habriel pulled them up and threw Chara in the air again. He landed right on their chest and slammed them back into the ground. He jumped off them and took a few steps back.

"Damn you!" they hissed coughing blood. 

"Thought this would be easy because Kaizer kicked YOUR ass?" he asked. "I wouldn't have done anything so stupid as to leap in the air towards him. At least, not without some sort of plan."

Toriel dragged Frisk back behind herself once more, blocking their's and Marion's eyes. She desperately wanted to protect them from Chara and from watching Habriel fight. Frisk still managed to watch them fight past their mother. They were waiting for the moment that Chara would try to attack; they planned on defending Habriel with all they had.

"Give up." Habriel said. 

"Why!?" Chara asked. "Why would you go so far for these pawns!?"

"Because before them, I had nothing." he said. Chara widened their eyes. "The humans of the surface treated me like garbage." he continued. "I know the feeling of being alone in a cold, dark room. It hurts. It sucks. But Marion, Frisk and Toriel. They pulled me out from that abyss. They saved me from myself. They're the first people who ever cared about me in this world. Which is why I will not let anyone hurt them, and why I put their lives above my own." he took a step forward. "So go ahead, go after them. Because that means you gotta deal with me, first. I don't care what you do to me. Stab me, shoot me, burn me, torture me. I don't care. Because as long as it means that I'm protecting them, that's all that matters. They're the reason I strive to be better, why I'll keep going. No matter how hard the obstacle ahead of me gets. Because I know they'll be there to help me back up. Because of them, I have something worth fighting for." Chara looked shocked. Habriel wasn't angry, sad or even happy. He was determined. He was determined to stop them at all costs. This isn't going to be an easy fight at all. "That's why I won't lose!" he announced.

"Tch. You don't know that," Chara scoffed with their arms on their hips. "Just because you care about them doesn't mean you'll have the strength or the endurance to last through the battle against me." They chuckled darkly. "That's just what you think. You think you can be a driving force for them, but we'll see what really happens."

Chara was about to attack until they saw something behind Habriel. It was the apparition from the night before. He stared at Chara, chuckling and caressing Habriel from behind. He leaned over Habriel's shoulder and gave Chara a toothy grin.

"Wh- who are you? Go away, can' t you tell when you're not wanted? We're busy!" They stomped their foot in aggravation at the apparition behind their opponent, who would not go away no matter what was said to him. He frightened them.

The specter continued to chuckle at the little child. Their knees started to shake. The specter started to glow. Habriel finally felt the cold presence. The boy was deathly afraid. The specter reached around and grabbed Habriel by the throat, choking him. Habriel reached up, trying to stop him. But the specter was far too strong, Habriel dropped to his knees and passed out, with the specter still looming over him, chuckling to himself.

"Damn you..." Chara snarled, gnashing their teeth and clenching their fists. "Get out of here! He's mine!" They swiped at the imposing figure with their arm.

The apparition chuckled and went inside Habriel's body. Soon Habriel was engulfed in a black fire. He slowly started to rise, getting up as if coming back from the dead. As he got up, a large cloak made of black feathers came over him. His hair grew long and loose, with the ends turning black as night. A violet mask resembling a skull without a jaw and two long fangs, protruding at the ends of the molars. It hid his eyes and forehead. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't Habriel. It smiled and chuckled. "Well well well...." the thing said. It was a mix of Habriel's voice and someone else's. "Put enough stress to the soul, and the curse will allow me to take control for a short period of time." it said. "Fascinating." the thing held out it's hand and materialized a rune by it's feet. Out from the rune came a black staff with a violet jewel embedded at the end of it. The thing held onto the staff and smiled at Chara. "This wouldn't have been possible without you." it said. "Thank you."

"Don't even talk to me," Chara spat, refusing to look him in the face. It was enough that Habriel was already a tougher opponent to fight, but what was this? "No matter what you look like, you're still Habriel."

"Know your place, insect!" the being hissed. He lifted his hand and Chara was ripped out of Kaizer's body. A rune appeared beneath their feet and a bunch skeletal hands appeared out of the rune and grabbed onto Chara. The hands pulled them into the ground while they were screaming in terror and kept them restrained there.

"L...let me go!" Chara gasped. They materialized a red knife to cut away at the hands restraining them to the ground. Every time they cut one off, another would just appear to take its place. "Who are you?" they choked. The thing possessing Habriel smiled.

"Seraph the Herald of Death." he said. Toriel heard him say that and widened her eyes in horror. Frisk looked over and saw her hand shaking.

"Mom, are you okay?" they asked.


	22. Chapter 22

"Seraph the Herald of Death..." She mouthed the words to herself a few times, watching him. "...He's familiar," She finally said, acknowledging Frisk's concern.   
"You know him?" Frisk asked, holding onto her. 

"Wait a minute...." Toriel said. Suddenly, the realization hit her like a truck. "Habriel's book! Tale of Seraph the Unfallen!"

Seraph turned and smiled. "Well well...." he chuckled. "Who is over there who knows about me?" he waved his arms towards the MTT resort and the glass doors swung open, revealing the family inside. Seraph gasped when he saw who was mentioning him, and started laughing. "If it isn't the queen of the monsters, herself!" he clapped his hands. "My oh my, your majesty. Never have I thought I would ever meet you. I remember an old friend of mine fought your husband. Although, we've never met on the battle field. The stories of the Dreemurrs never ceased to amaze me."

She was not sure of what to do, and waved sheepishly with Frisk behind her.   
"Uh h-hello," She called out to him. "I didn't quite believe I would meet you, either. And under these circumstances."

"My oh my, how things change over time." he smiled. "That bastard friend of mine who fought King Asgore, what happened to him?" before she could tell him she didn't know, he gasped. "Wait, never mind." he said. "I doubt you'd know. After all, we sealed you all away. I must say, though. I'm quite surprised at these circumstances. Me, one of the seven wizards, here in the Underground, helping the royal family none the less." he paced a little bit and shrugged. "Enemy of my enemy is my friend...." he chuckled. 

Toriel had no idea what was going through that head of his, or what he was talking about. 

"Um, I'm sorry?" She had raised her hand up to speak before, but had lowered it slowly as he spoke, more and more confused than before by his soliloquy. Frisk watched him, stepping out beside Toriel.

"Just answer me this one question." she said. The mage turned his head.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What exactly is going on?" she held onto Frisk and Marion.

The man gave an unsettling smile. "It's a long story." he said. "But to make it simple, this boy is cursed. Him and I are stuck with each other in this curse. He can borrow my power when he uses magic. However, my power as a result of this curse attracts the negative forces of this world. He shall always suffer, he shall always be in danger for as long as he is bound to me. There are two ways to break the bond with me. He could either have a child who would bear the curse instead, or he can simply die."

His speech left her speechless. "He... he must suffer as long as he lives... until he grows up and has a child or dies?" She sobbed quietly, looking at the seraph. "Why...? Why has he been cursed this way?" Frisk wanted to cry too, but tried their best to comfort Toriel.

"What, you think he's the only one?" Seraph asked. "The Clemens bloodline has been cursed for over a millennia. The youngest blood of this family must bear this curse." he took a step closer. "It's not through the lack of effort to break this curse, either. Hundreds of parents and children sacrificed their kids and siblings in blood rituals to break this curse before humans forgot how to use magic. Nothing worked. Honestly, if you want to stop dealing with this pain, you should just let him go. I'll move onto whomever is still alive. He'll be free of the burden. You don't have to suffer with him. He doesn't have to suffer anymore, nor would he have to watch his child suffer. On top of that, it brings me a step closer to being free. If I have no one to bond with, I have a feeling I would finally get some rest."

"But... he shouldn't have to die if he wants to break the curse!" She said, her voice raising. "That's just... unfair! There has to be another way! He should be able to live a life like everyone else!" She burst into heartrending tears.  
"Can he hear us?" Frisk inquired, perking up a bit.

"He's heard every word, just like I did." Seraph responded. "As well as for it not being fair, take a look at me. Do you think I like being stuck like this? Being nothing but a vessel for stupid little kids who run off and get themselves killed. It's about as fun for me as it is for him. If there was any other way to break the curse. It'd have been done already, believe me." He smiled. "We're stuck like this!"

"I'm really sorry," Toriel muttered, her eyes downcast towards her feet. "I didn't mean to insult you..."

"It doesn't matter..." Seraph shrugged. "I can feel myself slowly fading away. I don't have much time." He turned to fave Chara and waved his hand. The skeletal hands dragged her across the ground and sat her up to face him as he knelt down and smiled. "So I'll make this quick."

"Tch, what?" Chara hissed.

"It's funny how you love to bitch about someone else going around murdering people, meanwhile here you are. Trying to do the same thing with that hypocritical smile." he chuckled. 

"I'm making things the way they should be!" Chara spat.

"What gave you the right to determine what's right or not?" Seraph asked. "You're nothing more than a mentally ill, undead child who witnessed genocide in another timeline." Chara widened their eyes. "Oh, I know all about it. My best friend also had that power when he was alive. He told everything he did before resetting."

"So it's okay for them to toy with everyone's lives like that!?" Chara asked.

"It's okay for you to do the same thing?" Seraph asked. He turned to Frisk. "So what happened?" he asked them.

"I....I killed everyone in the Underground." Frisk held their head in shame.

"And I suppose you two met at the end." Seraph said. "Do you remember anything she told you?"

"We eradicated the enemy and became strong." Frisk paraphrased.

"Who is the enemy?" Seraph asked. 

"Humans!" Chara blurted out. "They sealed those monsters away!"

"So you planned to gain LV and wipe out humanity?" Seraph asked. "You're even worse than the people you condemn. At least my people didn't wipe everyone out. You care about these people so much and at the same time don't. It doesn't add up."

"I don't care!" Chara spat. "I don't need anyone!"

"Then why haven't you destroyed this world already?" Seraph asked. 

"I didn't destroy the world yet because I enjoy to watch them suffer," They pointed a crooked, accusing finger towards Frisk, who immediately hid behind their mother in fear and more remorse. "It's fun! It's interesting to see how long their 'family' can defend them and how I can take them down. So?"

"It's funny." Seraph said. "You know, I created your kind." he explained. "I can control you like a puppet, I can tell exactly what you're thinking. I can also tell when my creations are lying to me...."

Chara widened their eyes in horror. But then laughed it off. "You didn't create me, I woke up!"

"No, you naive fool." he said. "I created your kind. The undead humans. The Liches." He reached out and pulled out her soul. "I know that this soul of yours is infused with a monster's. That's how humans can come back from the dead. That's how liches are made. All you're missing is a body. I created your kind. You can hide nothing from me."

"I'm not lying! I love to see them suffer!" They screamed, still pointing at Frisk, who stood cowering. 

"You can say that all you want." Seraph said "But the first person you gotta convince is yourself."

"Shut up...." Chara growled.

"Why?" Seraph said. "Because you're mad at them for what they've done? Because they snapped, but still managed to fix their mistakes?"

"Shut up...." she growled again.

"Is it because you're jealous that you couldn't do the same thing when you messed up?" he asked.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Chara hissed with tears running down their transparent cheeks.

"How could you say they fixed their mistakes?! All they did was activate a stupid reset and treat them all like it never happened and that everything was fine! But me! I never tricked myself into believing that lie!" She spat. Their eyes were fearsome and glowing a hollow red.

"Look around you." he said. "Look at them. It's rather obvious that they forgave Frisk, so why not you?"

"It's not right." Chara said. "Resetting doesn't fix everything! It doesn't fix me! It doesn't fix Asriel!" they started sobbing.

"Yes, that may be, but it's not Frisk's responsibility to fix Asriel." Seraph said, looking at her with a cold stare.

"We'll chat some other time..." he said. "My time's up." Not even a second later, the hair grew short and was completely white again. The skull mask dissipated into violet petals which floated away in the air with the black feathers. Habriel collapsed to the ground and threw up. The skeletal hands released Chara and disappeared as well. After Habriel wiped away his mouth, he sat down and looked over at Chara with a look of sympathy.

"What?" they growled.

"Now I get it." he said. "I was awake the entire time he possessed me. Now, I think I understand."

"Understand what?" Chara hissed.

"You're jealous." Habriel said. "You're jealous that Frisk has control of the timeline and you don't. I don't know everything about you and Asriel. But from the way you spoke to Seraph, I know that you deeply care about him. Something happened between you two and you don't have the power to fix your mistake, unlike Frisk. They made their mistakes, but reset the timeline and fixed them. The fact that you can't do that with Asriel infuriates you to no end. You want to fix your mistakes with Asriel, but can't. You're jealous."

Chara held their head down, after a couple seconds, they looked up. "You-you just had to be the one, didn't you?" they asked. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" they snapped. "ME, CHARA DREEMURR, JEALOUS?" they pointed at Frisk. "OF THAT STUPID HUMAN!?" they curled up into a ball on the ground. "It's humiliating..." they muttered. "To be understood by someone as stupid as you....humiliating..." Tears began to stream down their cheeks and their vision began to blur. They finally started sobbing and hiding their face in their knees, screaming and crying. 

Habriel attempted to get closer to them, but they smacked his hand away and slashed and flailed at the air with one arm. They didn't want him to step an inch closer. They wished he wasn't even there- that they weren't having this conversation, that they didn't know who he was. They eventually dropped their arm down again, still crying.

Toriel, Frisk and Marion walked outside and watched the scene before them. "I wasn't lying about what I said earlier...." Habriel said. "I have an idea of how you feel. I know what it's like to not be able to do anything about whatever's happening to someone you care about." His eyes started glistening. "It hurts...."

Chara didn't respond.

"I know its easier to get mad at someone else and take your anger out on them." he continued. "As humans, we mourn, the grief turns to pain and from pain we turn to blame."

"I didn't do what Frisk did. They did something big- HUGE in fact. They killed everyone. And yet," They looked up meekly.   
"They're the one that has power over the timeline. They can undo what they've done, but I can't change a thing about what happened to Asriel. Not one thing."

"I'm sure we can figure something out if we all work together." He held out hand. "As for Frisk, I think going back and changing it makes up for it. If they truly didn't regret it, they wouldn't have gone back." He reached out further. Chara looked over and stared at the family.

They shook their head and sighed.   
"There's not much we can do now. I'm basically a spirit. What can I do to help someone so far gone as Asriel?"

"It took six human souls and the soul of every monster in the Underground to turn Flowey back into Asriel." Frisk said. "We can either do that again or use a seventh human soul."

"So we already have six." Habriel said. "The seventh soul...." he gasped. "The hooded man's soul! That makes seven! We can still save him!"

"You want to, my child? After all that he's done to you?" Toriel came up behind Habriel.   
"Yeah, didn't he try to get the monsters to hate you?" Frisk chimed in, looking at Chara.

"Well, he's kind of dead." Habriel said. "Maybe now, he'll finally be able to do some good in the world." He looked up at Toriel. "You get to have Asriel again, you must be excited."

"Well, sort of, my child..." Toriel blushed. "But I've been used to his absence. And I don't know how he'll react to having you three around," She messed up Frisk's, Marion's, and Habriel's hair playfully. "It'll be strange. I don't know how to feel about it."

"I...that wasn't what I was expecting...." Habriel said. "I wouldn't know what I would do if I lost any of you....I'd have been very excited if I could bring any of you back....."

"She's taught herself not to get too attached." Chara said. "She lost too many children...."

"Yes," She said in a plaintive tone. "I'm deeply sorry, my child. I don't mean to sound so unfeeling. I'm just nervous; I haven't seen him in years, after all. I never thought I'd see him again. I guess I had just gotten used to that fact." She hid her face in her hands. "I must be a horrible mother."

Habriel gently grabbed onto her hands and wipes away her tears. "You're better than my mom." he said. He hugged her. "No, I should correct myself. You ARE my real mom. The woman who gave birth to me is nothing when compared to you. People would kill to have someone like you watch over them."

She hugged him. "Thank you, my child. It's just that... after a while, one can't help but blame themselves on the things that happened in the past. I just hope Asriel can forgive me after all this time."

"There was nothing you could do." Frisk said. 

"Yeah, what were you supposed to do?" Chara asked. "Kill those children, yourself?" 

Everyone gave Chara a flat glance. They shrugged and rolled their eyes, getting the message. 

"As messed up as it is." Habriel said. "She does have a point. There was nothing you could do. I'm sure Asriel will understand."

"Alright." She sighed. "But before we do anything else, we all really need some time to rest and think. Including Chara." Chara nodded grimly. 

Habriel got up to check on Kaizer. The skeleton grunted in pain as he got up. "How're you feeling?" Habriel asked. 

"Exhausted and like I was hit by a train. What happened after I blacked out?" Kaizer took the boy's hand and sat up, grunting once more. "Hopefully nothing too crazy."

"Let's talk about it during breakfast." Habriel said. "Wait a minute, you don't already know?"

"Know what?" He asked.

"I guess it has a different affect on monsters...." Habriel muttered. "Anyway, let's go."

Toriel gathered her children and beckoned to Kaizer, waving, but they stopped for a moment.  
"What am I gonna do?" Chara huffed, watching them start to leave her. "Should I stay here?"

"I mean, do you wanna come with?" Frisk asked. "Wait! I know! I can call Napstablook! We can all have breakfast together! You would share whatever he brings."

"You're returning to the hotel, or back to Toriel's house?" Chara mumbled quietly. 

"We haven't had breakfast yet." Frisk said. "We're all pretty tired and hungry. So, the resort for now..."

"Yes, you children must eat. Why don't we go to the resort's restaurant and then go home?" Toriel suggested.  
"I think it will do us some good. You may join us when you wish, Chara."

Frisk pulled out their cellphone and dialed Napstablook's number. The ghost put the phone on speaker as Mettaton was with him.

"Hello?" The ghost muttered.

"Hey, Napstablook! It's Frisk!" Frisk greeted happily. Mettaton heard their voice over the line and his eyes lit up. He tried to grab the phone from his shy cousin.   
"Oh, is that Frisk? Hellooo darling!" He called over the speaker, making them laugh.

"We were wondering if you'd come and have breakfast with us." Frisk said. "And do you mind bringing some ghost food?"

"Of course!" Mettaton exclaimed. "Anything for you, darling. Where are you?"

"MTT Resort." They said.

Mettaton chuckled and blushed. "Glad you've come to my resort, darling! And yes, that would be lovely! We'll be right over! See you~!" He said and hung up.   
"Okay, so Mettaton and Napstablook are coming over," Frisk said to the others.

"One big breakfast." Habriel commented. "I'm just glad I get to sit down and relax for once."

"Someone's getting excited..." Marion giggled.

"Well of course..." Habriel said as he turned to her. He had the same piercing hypnotic gaze he gave her on their date. It made her blush. "And I'll be sure to save room for dessert..." he brushed his hair with a single stroked of his hand. For whatever reason, Marion felt like she was gonna explode from both excitement and embarrassment. Habriel's flirting shouldn't be getting to her, but it did.

Chara rolled their eyes and trudged beside the family as they walked to the first floor of the building. Soon, the familiar, timid ghost and fabulous robot followed them inside for breakfast.


	23. Chapter 23

"You know what?" Habriel said. "For today, I just wanna forget about Iredox and the Cathedral... I'm dead tired...."

"I'd be surprised if you weren't." Marion giggled. She then glared with intense anger. "But now, IT'S TIME FOR OUR REMATCH!" She held out one hand and formed a fist in the air with her other hand. Habriel did the same. "Rock..." both started as they pounded their hands. "Paper....Scissors....SHOOT!" Marion formed rock with her hand and Habriel formed paper. "Dam-Darn it!" Marion hissed, catching herself at the last second. Everyone was still waiting for their food to come. At least, everyone who wasn't a ghost. "There's no way you can beat me so much!" she growled. "You have to be cheating!"

"Face it." Habriel glared back with a sinister smile. "There are just things that you won't beat me in." he made a rather evil chuckle. 

"Let me try!" Frisk insisted, believing that it wasn't possible that Habriel could beat Marion so many times at the game.  
"I can do it! Try me!" They challenged him with a smirk.

"Alright..." Habriel smirked. They both got their hands ready. "Rock...." they both said. "Paper....Scissors...SHOOT!" They both snapped. Frisk showed paper, as did Habriel. They started over. "Rock..." they both said. "Paper...Scissors....SHOOT!" they both snapped again. This time they both got rock. Everyone was watching them with growing anticipation at the table. "Rock...."they both muttered. "Paper....Scissors...SHOOT!" Frisk got Scissors, but Habriel got rock.

Frisk groaned in defeat, their arm slinking down. "Well, we did tie twice..." They said sullenly and laughed, to which Habriel laughed as well. Toriel was watching them absentmindedly while they waited for their food.

It took multiple waiters, but everyone managed to get their food as it was still hot. Some people sat still, excited while others were almost drooling as the food was slowly being placed down on the table a couple plates at a time.

All of them ate thankfully; it had been so hectic since they had gotten their last meal. It seemed like a pattern in which they would encounter an onslaught of stress and danger before resting.

"By the way..." Habriel turned to Frisk after swallowing his food. "How's your head? Are you good?"

"I think so. I don't get dizzy anymore or have headaches; just some nightmares." They responded.  
"Well, it's understandable. We've experienced so much since then." Frisk shrugged and went back to their plate.  
"Oh yeah," Toriel started. "I just remembered we were going to help Asriel..." She had a glossy look about her eyes as if she were daydreaming.

"Yeah, but it's not a good idea to do anything while we're beaten down and tired." Habriel said. "For once, I'm just glad that my goal doesn't involve fighting someone. In fact, it's saving someone." Habriel looked down at his plate smiling. He knew it would take a lot to fit everyone in the ruins. Frisk, Chara, Asriel and her two new children. It's a lot. "Perhaps when you get your son back..." he whispered. "You won't want to put up with my curse...."

Toriel almost threw her fork down and stared at him concerned and questioning.  
"My child! Wh- I would never want to make you leave! I want to take care of you! We're family!" Mettaton sweat and chuckled nervously a bit, waving his hand for her to quiet down since they were in a restaurant after all.

It looked like she wanted to cry. "I could never give any of you up, even if I had to. You know that."

"I know YOU wouldn't..." Habriel said. "But did you hear what Seraph said? You'd all only suffer around me. I don't want to put you all through that pain.....It's not fair for you..."

Before Toriel or Marion could speak, Frisk interjected, "I don't care! I'm happy as long as you're alive! We're family; I could never go on without you!" Once again, Napstablook and Mettaton were sinking in their chairs, embarrassed. Other monsters were looking at their table. 

"Really?" Habriel choked. "You would still have me? Even if I bring nothing but pain and misery?" He was ready to cry. Everyone saw his eyes begin to glisten. "I'm sorry...." he choked out. "I'm sorry that I ever thought that of any of you.... I just....I don't know....I don't see what I bring to the table, no pun intended...."

Toriel smiled, and so did Marion.   
"You're a big brother to me. You're the best brother I've ever had, and the only one!" Frisk said.  
"You're an honest, wonderful person," Toriel added in. "You deserve just as much love as you give."  
"I can attest to that," Marion giggled.

Kaizer's phone went off and he read text. He got up and walked over to Habriel. "Hey, kid." He said. "Can I talk to you for a second?" 

"Sure..." Habriel said. They got up from the table and walked off to speak quietly for a few minutes.

"That was kinda odd," Frisk commented blankly, staring off towards the direction Habriel and the skeleton walked.  
"Who could be on the phone?" Marion wondered. "Who else knows him that we don't?"

After a few minutes, Habriel and Kaizer returned. Kaizer sat back down and drank some coffee. While Habriel finished his breakfast. He was surprisingly more cheerful than before.

Frisk and Marion looked at each other, then back to Habriel, giving him puzzled expressions. Toriel raised an eyebrow.   
"Somebody seems happy," Toriel smirked into her tea, observing Habriel over the rim of her mug. "What happened, my child?"  
A waiter retrieved some of their empty plates and promised them the bill.

"Oooohhhh....nothing...." Habriel chirped while sipping his coffee mug. "I just can't wait to get back to the ruins...."

Marion raised an eyebrow. "What's gotten you like this?" She asked. "A couple minutes ago, you were ready to make us cry." 

"I don't know..." Habriel shrugged. "I guess I'm over it.."

"Is it something Kaizer said?" Frisk asked.

"Nah..." Habriel said. "I'm just...happy, y'know.

Frisk continued to eye Habriel strangely until it was time to leave. It almost upset them that he could change so suddenly like this, especially just as everyone in his family was praising and cheering him up. It wasn't what they had said that made him happy, and that's what made Frisk sad.

Everyone was on their way out to the main lobby of the MTT resort. Toriel, Frisk, Habriel, Marion, and Chara were all making their way to the front door with Kaizer following from close behind. The glass doors opened and Asgore came through, humming to himself. "Howdy!" he said. "Making your way out, I see? Ready to return to the ruins?" Everyone raised an eyebrow except for Habriel. The King didn't even react to Chara being there. Habriel extended his left leg, bowed and placed his left arm over his chest while extending his right arm to the side. 

"All hail, King Asgore." he chirped. "King of the monsters and the Underground." Everyone turned to Habriel's strange behavior, including Asgore. 

"Ho ho ho...." Asgore chuckled. "You don't have to do that with me." He scratched the back of his head. 

"You're right...." Habriel smiled. "Because you aren't the King..." Everyone opened their eyes. Why would Habriel say that? "The real King is still in his castle...." Asgore gasped as he saw an orange claw pattern materialize in the air. He stared at it, and suddenly, three giant claw marks slashed across his face. He grunted in pain as he hid his face in his hand. Everyone gasped. Habriel laughed as he rushed over and jumped over the King, surprisingly high. Habriel wrapped his legs around the King's head and twisted his entire body around. The King was flipped over and he landed on his back. Habriel ended up on the floor, but graciously rolled backwards, and stood up again, chuckling.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Frisk gasped. 

"Oh, I'm not attacking the King..." Habriel chuckled. He pointed over and showed that the illusion was breaking. What looked like King Asgore glowed white, and out from the light showed a doll like figure that wore the hat and pants of a jester. It was pale as snow and had black buttons for eyes. However, it wasn't smiling.

"Why you!" the jester growled. "How did you know?"

"Not so funny when that trick is being done to you..." Habriel smiled.

"Trick?" the jester asked. Habriel smiled and blinked. His violet eyes turned a greenish yellow with slits. His teeth turned sharp, and he gave a sinister grin. Habriel then too, started to glow white. Another monster emerged from the light, it was the female cat assassin from earlier. She was giggling to herself. "YOU TRAITOR!" the jester snarled. "Are you loyal to anyone?"

"Of course...." she said. "My lover and my new boss..."

"New boss?" the jester asked. The female cat smiled and giggled, while looking at Kaizer. 

"King Asgore took my boss out of the Royal Sentries and gave him his own group to lead." she explained. "He leads the Royal Espionage. My lover and I are the two newest additions to this new faction..." The Jester snarled in response. 

"How did you know I was coming?" he asked.

"Simple." she responded. "I know you've been stalking them since my lover and I failed in our mission. Instead of trying again, he and I joined the Royal Espionage and we decided to keep an eye on you. We let Kaizer in on what you were planning to do this morning, and I switched places with the dear boy during his breakfast." She placed a claw on her chin. "I do feel a little bad that I ate his food, though..."

"But Kaizer didn't say anything suspicious to the boy when I followed them!" the jester objected. "The boy walked off....to the bathroom....." the cat smiled. "So it was you who came out!" the jester snapped. "So is he still in there, knocked out?"

"Not at all...." she said. "Kaizer just told him to go wash his face for a second and to wait put for him until he returns.."

"What happens now?" the jester asked. A large orange claw materialized and went against his throat. The other cat assassin was behind him. 

"Now you're under arrest...." the male chuckled. The male cat quickly stood up the jester and pushed him forward towards the female. The female chuckled as she kicked the jester in the chin, knocking him in the air. The male leaped and hit him over the top of his head, knocking the jester hard into the ground. The jester lied there, unconscious. The two cats high-fived and giggled. 

"Wait..." The cats stopped giggling and turned around.  
"So... all those things we said... does he even know what we said?" Toriel inquired the cats, disappointed.  
"You are good guys now?" Frisk asked, staring at the couple. Toriel turned to Kaizer; she huffed and brought herself up, angry that he had not told her a thing before anything happened, but then sighed and deflated, knowing he saved all of their lives.

"I'm sorry..." Kaizer said. "I couldn't let you guys know what was going on. If I had let you in on it. That guy would have gotten suspicious and ran off." He bowed his head. "I hope you can forgive me and understand why I left you all in the dark. As for them, I caught them not long after they tried to kill you. They had a choice. Spend the rest of their lives in the dungeon, or join me. They chose the later." He shrugged. "They probably have some other story. If they do, they're full of it..."

"Yes, of course, I understand." Toriel softened. "Thank you again, Kaizer."  
By now, Frisk had gone inside again to find Habriel, knocking on the door and calling in to him to say that he could come out (with Kaizer's permission). They also asked him if he had heard what they were saying about him.

They however remembered that Habriel had no idea what was going on. The boy was waiting over by the bathrooms inside the restaurant still. They sighed. Everyone followed Frisk inside. They made their way through the restaurant and quickly rushed over to the bathrooms. Habriel was sitting outside on a bench, playing a game of solitaire. The cards were violet and transparent. Habriel looked up and saw his family heading towards him. "Guys?" he gasped. "What's up?" Frisk, Toriel and Marion all hugged him and he just sat there, not knowing what happened. 

"What's going on?" he asked. 

Kaizer also came back over to help them explain things to him.  
"Well, I told you to stay here for a certain amount of time because, well, it was a trap for someone. There's a jester that came to harm you and your family, and remember the cats?"  
Habriel nodded, confused.  
"Well they're on our side. Asgore's welcomed them in, and they decided to help. One disguised themself as you as bait, and when the creature approached pretending to be Asgore, they pounced. They got him."

It was a lot to take in, but there was one thing Habriel knew. It's that his family was worried sick about him. He hugged them back. "I'm sorry..." he said. "I didn't know. It must have been scary for you..."

"Yes. But Kaizer had it under control." Toriel nodded towards Kaizer, who returned the gesture.   
"So, would you like to go home finally?" She asked.

"First I wanna say something..." Habriel said. "I've thought about what you guys said. I appreciate everything you've all done. I want you all to know that I think the world of every single one of you. You all brighten every room you enter and your smiles make my day. I'm sorry for ever suggesting that I should leave. I realize it would cause you all just as much pain as if I left." His eyes began to glisten again. "And I can't thank you all enough for all the times you were there for me. I have no idea where I'd be without any of you." A tear trickled down his cheek. "I love you all so much. And I put all your lives above my own."

They all hugged at once, of course, all in tears. Kaizer rolled his eyes and chuckled silently.  
"I'm glad," Toriel said. "You know how important you are to us."

They were heading out of the resort as the two cats were carrying a struggling jester. "Let me go!" The jester hissed. The two cats giggled. Habriel, disturbed by the monster's appearance stood furthest away from him. The jester started laughing maniacally for no reason. Then headbutted the cat behind him, bloodying her nose. He formed a purple dagger and cut the rope as he sprinted towards the family with a sinister grin. Habriel was trying to form a shield but it was taking too long to materialize. The jester formed a dagger and slashed someone across the chest. Habriel widened his eyes in horror and gasped as the shield threw the jester out and protected the family. 

"Marion!" He screamed.

"Marion, dear!" Toriel threw herself down by the girl's side to protect her from further harm from the wicked creature. Frisk screamed Marion's name too. Habriel positioned himself in front of his family as his shield finally materialized; he wielded it in front.

"Habriel...." she muttered. He knelt down and lifted her torso up on his knees.

"Don't say anything!" Habriel said. "You need your evergy! Everything's gonna be fine!" 

"Habriel....I feel myself slipping away...." she said as she placed a hand on his cheeks and smiled. 

"No!" Habriel snapped."You're not going to die!" 

"Dear..." she said. Habriel felt something slip on his finger. 

"Your mother's ring?" He muttered. 

"I want you to have it...." she said.

"Stop it." He said. 

"Habriel..." she said.

"We just gotta get some monster food and-" Before he finished she looked him in the eye and smiled. 

"Just do me a favor right now..." she said. 

Habriel teared up and looked her in the eye. "Sure..." he said.

"I want you to sing that one song I like...." she said.

"Of course..." he choked. He looked down at her with glistening. He cleared his throat as he gave a fake smile to her. He closed his eyes.

"So here we are at the end now.  
I need to leave   
but I only want to stay with you.  
I never asked to be the one  
To set me free,

Let me take you when I go,  
When I go.  
I don't want to do this on my own  
On my own,  
I'm breaking free, but of these chains,  
Oh, let this one remain,  
Let me take you when I go~" He looked down at her as her eyes were closed. "Marion?" He asked. No answer. "Marion?" He asked again. She still didn't respond. "Marion, please. You can quit it with the joke now.." She laid there motionless. "Marion, this isn't funny..." he said. He looked up and saw her purple soul float in the air infront of him. He clasped his hands around it and stared at it, losing his composure. He screamed in horror and agony with tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Protect her soul!" Toriel yelled to him, her back facing the children. They hadn't noticed that she had stood and defended them while this was going on. She shot streams of fire from her palms at the flying jester, aiming so as to keep him from flying any nearer. It was keeping him occupied so far. The distressed mother began to sweat. She wasn't looking back.

A giant green skeletal hand grabbed the jester in the air as the maniac laughed. The hand squeezed as hard as it could. Popping the doll body like a grape as cotton flew everywhere. A purple ghost wearing a jester cap emerged from the body.

"How does a jester play tag?" The ghost asked. "With his knife!" He shouted as he laughed maniacally again. Violet spears emerged from the ground piercing all sorts of different spots on the ghost's ethereal body. Everyone turned to an enraged Habriel with tears leaking down his cheeks as he held Marion's body in one hand and her soul in another.

Toriel already had her phone in her hand, dialing numbers.  
"Yes, hello... this is an emergency. Bring the... yes. No, not for Habriel. We're near the MTT resort. Alright thanks." She hung up. Soon enough, an exhausted Alphys sprinted onto the scene with vials in one pocket and a syringe in the other.  
"Who needs this?" Alphys asked the goat woman while loading a vial's contents into the syringe.

"Guys...." Chara said. "It's too late...." Habriel held onto the girl's cold hand and cried as he placed his forehead against hers. Everyone could hear the pathetic whimpering coming from the boy.

"No it's not..." Alphys hustled over beside Habriel and his girlfriend's body and set down her medical supplies. "Because we have what saved you, Habriel." The scientist didn't seem all too disturbed by the sight of the limp body in the boy's arms; she was used to seeing wretched things, and was a doctor after all. It wasn't under her job description to only deal with pleasant things.  
"We can still try... may I have her arm, please, Habriel?" She requested mechanically, holding out her hand. The filled syringe was in the other.

Habriel presented the girl's arm, then tried to put the soul back into her body, but it refused. Habriel pushed with all his might, but it wouldn't go back in there.

"That's the problem..." Chara said. "Habriel's soul is much stronger than her's. That's probably why he survived when I..." they cringed while thinking about the past.

Frisk shushed Chara temporarily with a wave of their hand. They complied, watching things unfold.  
"Alright, I'll try giving her the Determination, but we'll have to see what happens. If it doesn't work, we won't have many options..." She trailed off while injecting Marion's arm with the serum, draining it into the vein slowly.  
"Let's see..."

Habriel tried again, but the results were the same. Chara was right...

"Just wait," Alphys stayed the boy's hand by his side as both watched Marion's lifeless body. "The serum takes time to work. We'll have to wait- don't lose hope yet," She added, patting him on the back to reassure him. "I understand."  
Toriel watched them off to the side with bated breath with Frisk, Chara, and Kaizer.

They tried over and over. Countless times at different points. It seemed that matter how much Determination Alphys injected into her. Nothing happened. Chara would have said 'I told you so....' but they knew better.

Alphys sat waiting for there to be a response from the body, but one did not come. She wondered if it was taking longer than usual, since her body had never encountered Determination before, but was unsure. She looked at Habriel.

Habriel wept pathetically at the young girl's corpse. Someone he knew longer than Frisk and Toriel, dead in his arms. He hugged her rocking back and forth. "Marion...." he muttered. "I'm so sorry...." he wept. "I love you so much....please don't leave...."

Alphys lowered her face in despondence. She retrieved her equipment and moved away from Habriel to give him space, wiping her eyes beneath the rims of her glasses silently. Before she left, she looked up at Toriel, who returned the same despondent, sad smile she thought the woman would return. The doctor left.

Chara watched by Habriel's family; she understood his exact feelings from the moment she lost her best friend Asriel. Frisk retreated and sat down by their mother's feet, their head at their knees. They put their hands on their ears and clamped their eyes shut, which were already leaking. Toriel stood paralyzed, feeling as though everything she had done was for naught, and that she had failed her children.

Everyone watched as Habriel just fell apart. He never looked to be in so much pain. Clasping her soul and her body.

"Welp..." the ghost said. "Every comedian's gotta have their 'killing joke'!" He proceeded to laugh like it was the funniest joke he'd ever told.

Frisk continued to cry into themself a distance from Habriel. Toriel considered that she wasn't fit to be any of these children's mother; she considered that she might not be suitable to protect them. She felt this was her proof, anyway.

Chara threw a red knife at the ghost. It screamed in pain. "They probably can't hurt you." They said. "But I can." They gave a demonic smile as they approached the ghost. Ready to put the mad jester out of his misery.

"So you think it's funny to just... kill anybody at any time? I used to think that was fun too," They approached menacingly with a knife by they side. "Until I realized that I needed to get a LIFE!" They shot the knife right through the ghost's body, running it through.

The jester wasn't smiling anymore. The ghost just lazily floated to the ground and crumbled into a pile of dust. Chara turned back around at the crumbling family. Shadows covered Habriel's eyes. He saw a couple of gangsters arrive late to the entire scene. Habriel got up and looked at them. There wasn't a death glare or the eyes of a madman. They were the cold eyes of someone who's world was torn apart. Suddenly, glowing, violet, skeletal hands reached up from beneath their feet and pulled them down to their knees. Everyone looked over and saw the immeasurable fear in the eyes of the gangsters as Habriel slowly approached them. He was about to finish them off until someone grabbed his hand and hugged him from behind. 

 

He halted his movement. He brought his hands up and put them up on the person's arms without facing them.

He dropped to his knees, still crying as he released the gangsters. They ran off, terrified. Habriel could feel the tears of the person from behind falling on him. He felt the familiar soft fur, turned around and hugged back. Burying his face as Toriel stroked his hair, still hugging him.

"I'm... so sorry, my child," She choked, holding him. Chara sat beside Frisk, who remained in place. They refused to move."I'm so sorry I... I couldn't protect her..." She whimpered. He felt her body sink a bit behind his.  
"I'm not fit to be your mother. I wasn't good enough for either of you."

"There was nothing you could do..." he said. "It was my responsibility to take care of her and I failed..." 

"You may have loved each other dearly, but you were all MY responsibility. I pledged to be your guardian and I failed to keep her from harm. It wasn't your fault, my child- it was mine. Please do not blame yourself for the loss."

He hugged her, still crying. "No it's not." He said. "You did everything you could to protect her. There was nothing either of us could do." They hugged each other, still crying. 

"They gotta stop blaming themselves for things they couldn't do anything about." Chara muttered aloud. "That way of thinking will just eat them alive...."

Frisk had buried their head in their knees and hadn't looked up for a long time. Chara, though fed up with sadness, stayed with them as long as they stayed there. 

"There's just no end..." Habriel said. "It's just one thing after another. I get hurt, you get hurt, Frisk gets hurt..." He looked over at Marion. "And now this...." He was right. This curse, it was unrelenting. "I just don't know how much more of it I can take." He looked up at Toriel. " There has to be a way to lift it." He gripped her robes. "There has to...."

"Now my child, losing you would be the cherry on top, and we of course don't want that," She insisted so as to keep him from doing anything rash. She didn't think she could bear losing another child; these kids were precious to her and she loved them as her own. 

"We have to figure something out." Habriel said. "Those can't be our only two solutions." He continued to desperately grip her robes. She looked down at him. These were the eyes of someone truly desperate. "There has to be another one...."

"If there was one, my child, it would most likely have to be as strong or stronger than the curse in the first place." Toriel's face was downcast. "We may have to just deal with this normally. We tried our best to help Marion, but we can't do anything else. Not even Determination could help her soul."

This did nothing to help Habriel. "You're right..." he said. "I'm sorry. I should've known...." He teared up again. "I'm just so tired...." he said. "Tired of being scared. Tired of the pain. It was foolish of me to think there could be another way...."

"Oh no no, my child, it's a wonderful gift to think positively and to have faith. It's just difficult, you know? There still could be another way, we just might take a while to find it." She hugged him and looked at him.  
"I'm sure there's something."

"Just promise me one thing..." he said. She looked down at his desperate eyes again. "Promise me I won't die like this..." he gritted his teeth. "Please...."

She didn't know what to say. "Habriel, I'll continue to try my best to protect you and Frisk..." she sighed. 'Though as you can see, many things can happen that are unexpected,' she thought to herself, upset. She wanted desperately to promise this to him, but she couldn't make it a guarantee. 

Habriel held his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask you to make such a foolish promise..." Habriel said with deep gloom.

"It's fine, Habriel." Toriel looked back to Frisk and Chara, who were sitting on the ground a few feet away.

Habriel got up and walked over to Frisk and Chara. "I'm sorry...." he said. "Unfortunately this is a common occurrence. Are you two okay?"

Chara nodded, then looked to Frisk beside them. Frisk looked up at Habriel with a soaked, snotty face that continued to drip. They failed to wipe their face on their sleeve, sniffling.

Habriel walked over and grabbed a box of tissues from the front desk and brought it to them. "Here...." he said as he handed it to them.

They thanked him feebly and wiped up their face hastily, ashamed at their behavior. They were embarrassed they acted like that in front of Kaizer and Habriel. They felt they should have been stronger- after all, they'd seen loved ones perish before.

"We should get moving...." Habriel said as he grabbed Marion's soul. He moved ahead of the group out the resort, heading towards the ruins.

Toriel walked over, took Frisk's and Chara's hands, and begins their journey back home. This was their final solace; the thought of home, a constant beacon of comfort.


	24. Chapter 24

They were about to cross the bridge at the waterfall, heading towards Snowdin. A gangster approached the family at the bridge entrance. "Hold it!" The gangster snapped. "This belongs to Iredox, now. If you wanna cross..." the monster smiled. "You gotta pay the toll....."

"I got your toll right here..." Habriel said, extending a middle finger to the monster.

"Habriel!" Toriel yelled, making him jump. She blushed, almost feeling obligated to apologize to the gangster for her son's behavior and manners. She sighed.  
"What do you mean, 'toll?'" She inquired.

"9999G..." the ganster said. "If you don't have that, then....." he reached for his machete, keeping it sheathed.

"Tsk. Iredox knows that nobody can afford that, clearly." Toriel folded her arms and frowned. "Is there anything else we can do to get through? Something feasible?" She asked the gangster.

"Nope..." the gangster said. "This boy caused a whole lotta pain to the boss. That's why it costs so much."

"What'd you do?" Chara asked Habriel.

"I kinda made him bite off his own tongue...." Habriel said.

Chara became unamused. "Really?"  
"Please, he was defending himself. Isn't there something we can do?" Toriel asked, becoming impatient with the monster in their way. She was getting ready.  
"Why don't you bring him out?"

The monster laughed. "Bring the boss out?" The gangster laughed. "All the way from base? You really do have a death wish." Habriel had enough. He made a demonic smile and initiated battle with the monster, showing his curse. "What the Hell!?" The monster gasped. He jumped back at the sight of the specter. "What is that thing? What are you?"

"If you don't let us pass, you'll find out..." Habriel growled.

"You're a freak!" The monster spat. "A demon!"

"Well..." Habriel shrugged. "In the famous words of Shakespeare." He gave another demonic glare. "'Hell is empty and all the devils are here....'" the monster was deathly afraid as the specter chuckled when hearing the quote. The monster got up and ran away.

Toriel just shook her head and sighed at Habriel's threat. "It's not the best to threaten, but we'll get through now, I guess..." She muttered, displeased once again with Habriel's manner. She strode ahead of him, leading them all. Frisk shook their head, Chara too.

Habriel shook his head from behind. He had been dealing with these degenerates for a while and they killed the love of his life. He was not going to be gentle with them, any longer. 'That guy's lucky I didn't kill him.' He thought. 

Frisk and Chara walked on either side of Habriel. Frisk turned to him.  
"Y'know... Mom's not very happy with what you're doing... I know you're upset." They averted their gaze from him. "But still... I guess we can't tell you what to do."  
'We can't tell you what Marion'd want, either,' Chara thought.

"I'm not too happy with those degenerates at the moment..." Habriel said. "They tried to kill me how many times? And now they kill Marion, the woman I promised to marry when we get older." Habriel was gonna go further into the rant, but sighed. "It's hard on me too, you know. You try so hard to just forgive and move on. But they've done too much. To you, to me and to everyone else. I don't think I can be so forgiving like you or mom. No matter how hard I try..."

"It's okay, everybody's different," Frisk smiled. "I understand. It's really hard to just forgive people. But I certainly don't forget anytime soon. It's almost like keeping tabs on past events- though that's not the healthiest either. I at least try to just be kind or coldly civil when talking to people I don't like."   
"And you know what happened with me," Chara interrupted. "My story certainly didn't work out."

"Still. I'm trying..." Habriel said. "I could have easily killed that guy by throwing him off the bridge. Then make up some excuse like 'he had it coming' or 'it was for the greater good'. As much as I can't forgive them. I won't stoop down to their level, either." He sighed again. "I'm just really tired of constantly being in danger. Knowing there's nothing that can be done about it...."

Frisk sighed. "Yeah..."  
Chara shook their head again. "Just don't succumb to the urge. You're doing good so far. I never made it as far as you have; that's saying something." They emphasized, recalling how they acted not too long before to Habriel and the gang.

"And I'm sorry if I offended any of you." He said. "It wasn't my intention to..."

Chara and Frisk insisted at the same time that he wasn't insulting to them, then they blushed from talking simultaneously. Toriel walked in silence ahead of them. 

"I thought it was pretty funny..." a deep voice said. Habriel turned and was finally able to see the specter. "Hello..." the thing said.

"What the Hell?" Habriel muttered. "No wonder that guy was terrified. You look horrifying." the specter chuckled in response.

"Well it can't be helped...." it said.

"So how come we can see and talk to each other now?" Habriel asked.

"Our bond is getting stronger...." the specter smiled. "I wonder how long it will be before I can claim that body as my own." the specter reached out and caressed Habriel's shoulders which sent chills down the boy's spine. 

"Please don't..." he said.

Chara and Frisk watched in horror. "Habriel, perhaps trying to put off your thoughts of revenge and killing is a better idea after all... it'll keep you from losing yourself to him," Chara commented while watching the figure. They shuddered. 

"You don't want to lift the curse in the ways given to you..." Seraph said. "A shame, all you have to do is find a pretty lady and all your problems would go away nine months later...." 

"Absolutely not." Habriel snapped. "The curse would just move on to that child."

"So you want to be the last of our bloodline?" Seraph asked.

"If it means no one else has to suffer, then yes." Habriel answered. 

"I wonder how long you can maintain this mindset." Seraph said. "But hey, you might be able to pull it off." The specter gave an unsettling smile. "Then we get to burn in Hell together...."

"He could always get married and... y'know, adopt a kid," Chara stated sarcastically, smirking at the threatening figure. "Never thought of that, did you? I would have expected you to be much smarter." Frisk snorted at their remark.

"Oh but where's the fun in that?" Seraph asked. He turned back to Habriel. "You do realize that with me, you're doomed to a horrible fate, right?"

"What horrible fate?" Habriel asked. 

"Mages and those bound to mages are destined to fall to a demon's hand." Seraph answered. "Metaphorically, of course. I've seen it happen countless times. You'll either die a horrible death or you'll go insane and kill yourself, wanting the pain to end. If you just bear a child now. You can move on..."

"The answer's still no." Habriel said. 

"You really do have a death wish, don't you?" Seraph asked.

"So what?" Habriel muttered, trying to make sure no one else could hear him.

"He could also make himself infertile if he wanted to mess around, then adopt a kid," Chara rolled their eyes and laughed obnoxiously at Seraph. "You really don't think of all the paths of fate. He could do anything he wanted in that sense. You only think of the, heh, carnal urges, so to speak. Quite ignorant of you." They winked.

"Says the foolish little child who wanted to destroy the world because of the oh so terrible humans..." Seraph said. He moved in front of Habriel. "So if your plan is to just die, why wait?" he asked. "You might as well leave now. Don't worry about them, they'll forget you and move on. So why not just get it over with?" Habriel ignored him. "You're already at a bridge, all it takes is just one tiny step."

"Forget him?! Yeah right, idiot!" Frisk yelled, shocking everyone. Nobody ever heard or expected this innocent, determined-to-be-merciful child to call someone a name. "You don't know what love is! You don't know what family means! We would never forget him! He's my brother- the only one I've ever had, and I would follow him to the end of the world!" They spat at Seraph, eyes glaring. Chara clapped.

"Oh I know all too well about love, descendant of my once best friend..." Seraph smiled. "I know all your games. You'll just use him as a tool and throw him away once he's no longer useful. Just like Alice did.... I just don't want you to get that luxury. Using him, playing with him like a toy. You'll do whatever you want, reset and do the right thing. That ghost doesn't care about him at all. And that lady over there just wants children. She doesn't care who, she'll just move on to whomever comes next. You all use him as your emotional crutch. It's disgusting..."

"We don't use him! I care about him and want him to do everything it takes for him to get rid of you once and for all! I'll never reset the timeline again as long as I exist!" They screamed at the top of their lungs at him, straining their body, lungs and vocal chords. Chara stepped back, overwhelmed by their screams. It seemed as if, for a rare occasion, Frisk's blood boiled and they were consumed by a fury.

"You want to get rid of me?" Seraph asked with a smile. "You know what to do. But you don't have the guts to do it." He gave an unsettling smile as he floated next to Habriel. "But don't worry, I'll do it for you." He pushed Habriel off the bridge. Habriel gasped and grabbed onto the edge. Looking up at the ghost smiling down at him.

Chara and Frisk screamed together. They were horrified. They needed a way to get rid of this demon. Frisk pulled Habriel up as quickly as humanly possible. "Of COURSE I don't want him to die!"

Frisk couldn't lift the boy. He was too heavy. The specter floated over to Toriel. "You know, for such a concerned mother..." Seraph whispered in her ear. "You're not doing a good job watching over your children...."

The mother shot her fist through the specter and backtracked, pulling Habriel up onto the bridge.  
"We need to get rid of Seraph," She murmured.

"I know...." Habriel said. 

"Oh come on, life would be so boring without me!" Seraph mocked. "I have an idea! You should go and start even more fights with that gang! If you're lucky, one of them will kill you and I get to move on!"

"Can you just be quiet for a couple seconds?" Habriel asked, placing a hand on his forehead. "Not too long ago, you wouldn't say anything. Now we can't get you to shut your mouth."

"Part of the bond my little descendant." Seraph said. "I couldn't talk because our bond wasn't strong enough back then. But who knows...." He rested a hand on Habriel's shoulders. "Pretty soon, roles might reverse, you get to be the spectator and I get to have some fun."

"Enough!" Habriel snapped. He shoved the ghost and gasped. Then smiled. "I guess it goes both ways between us..." He raised a hand in the air. "Ever get the feeling to talk like that to my family again...." he clenched a fist. "Don't....alright?"

The rest of his family looked threateningly towards Seraph, too. They were all already sick of his games and wanted him to shut his mouth. He was too sarcastic and optimistic for his own good.

Seraph chuckled. "Boy, if you and I actually fought....without being stuck like this..." his eyes glowed with an unsettling smile. "You wouldn't stand a chance..."

"It's a good thing I'm the one controlling the magic, then..." Habriel growled.

"For now..." Seraph muttered.

"Boy, does this thing run outta batteries? It's been yackin' all day!" Chara said exaggeratedly and in a sarcastic tone. Toriel made a mental note- contact or meet with Alphys to figure out a way to help Habriel contain and control the magic in his soul against Seraph.

"You know....if these people didn't care about me so much..." Habriel said. "I would end it now, just so that no one else would have to put up with you....and believe me, I've thought about it..."

"Oh great, so you won't jump off...." Seraph groaned. "Don't do anything to make me happy...."

"Of course I won't." Habriel said. "Because unlike you, I have a reason to live...." He brushed past the specter and moved on.

Toriel took her children by the hands this time to make sure they were all with her this time, and they began to walk again to go back to the ruins, and back home. They walked past the point where Habriel was pushed off by Seraph.

Making it to the other side of the bridge, a long sword was thrown into the ground in front of Habriel. He turned to see where it came from and saw a monster that was the same race as Toriel. However this one was a guy, had longer horns than her and he wore a black scarf to hide most of his face. For the rest of his body, he seemed to wear black leather with small metal plates on the sleeves and thigh areas, probably meant for armor. 

"Are you the one harassing those monsters?" the goat monster asked.

"Harassing? They're bandits..." Habriel said. 

"Really?" the goat monster asked. "Because last I checked, they were running from you..."

"Look, there's a bit of a mix up-" another sword was thrown, but Habriel threw up a shield just in time to block it. 

"Sir, my son is correct, those monsters had been harassing him and the rest of us for a while now," Toriel stated quickly to the man, hoping to avoid conflict and divert any incoming conflict quickly. Frisk hid behind Toriel in fear that things would turn for the worst.

"Still, such behavior cannot be tolerated." the goat monster answered. "Prepare yourself. I've trained in the art of combat since childhood back in my village all by myself. I've perfected all of my techniques and mastered the ways of stealth and fire magic. I stop villains whenever I can. Although, I've only recently started my job as a hero, I work alone and have brought a couple bad guys to jail."

"Cool story?" Habriel shrugged. The monster waved his hands and the two thrown swords heated up and flew back to the goat monster. The blades of the sword started to glow red from the heat. "Who are you, anyway?" Habriel asked.

"My name doesn't matter, scum." the monster said. "However, if you must know my hero name....it's the Blazing Blade!"

"Not good with names, are you?" Habriel drooped his arms and gave a bored expression. 

Toriel waved her arms frantically in front of herself, sweating. "NO no, sir, this is a mere misunderstanding, we were bystanders from the start, when these bandits came up to us and heckled us. They continued to do so for long intervals, and he threatened them because he did not wish to be harassed any longer-" She spoke fast and in a shaky voice.

"There's one more thing this scum did." the Blazing Blade said. "He saw through a couple of my attacks and damaged my pride. This, I cannot allow...." the goat monster turned into a cloud of smoke which flew closer to Habriel and Toriel. The Blazing Blade reappeared between them tried to kick Habriel away from Toriel, but Habriel quickly moved out of the way, nonchalantly. The monster gasped and leaped away from the two and started panting. 

"You're not kidding..." Habriel said. "You are new to this. I mean, the fight just started and you're already tired. Want a water?"

"Silence!" the Blazing Blade snapped. He leaped in the air and got ready to kick Habriel over the head, but Habriel moved out of the way again. The goat monster landed on the ground and accidentally did a split. Tears streamed down the monsters eyes as he screeched with a cracked voice. 

"You okay?" Habriel asked. 

"B-be quiet!" The Blazing Blade stammered, losing face. "I shall never take assistance from scum!" Toriel shook her head with a hand at her face.   
"Come along, children, we shall not let this strange man bother us any longer." With an exasperated huff towards the exhausted goat monster, Toriel took her children's hands and started to move past him.

"You there, scum!" the goat called out to Habriel as he was walking away. "I want to know your name, for when we do battle again! I will go back to training to regain my honor, as you have just made me your #1 rival!"

"It's Habriel...." Habriel said while raising an eyebrow. 

"Habriel!" the monster wheezed with tears still leaking down your cheeks. "Know this! The next time we meet, I will reclaim my honor!"

"Okay...Blazing Blade was it?" Habriel asked.

"If we're gonna be rivals..." the Blazing Blade sighed. "It's only fair we don't hide our identities from each other. My real name is Halustreg Djneshons." he held out a hand. "As your new #1 rival, we should shake hands and promise to do battle again."

"Nice to meet you, too?" Habriel said while shaking his hand. "It's no big deal about the whole honor thing, your foot just slipped and-"

"NO!" Halustreg snapped. "You've also seen through attacks that took me years to master! My honor is tainted! Until I defeat you, I shall have to dedicate myself to training!"

"Okay...." Habriel rubbed the back of his neck after they were done shaking hands. "Good luck with that, I guess..."

"See you later, my new rival..." Halustreg said. He turned into a cloud of smoke and flew off. Habriel hid most of his face in the palm of his hand as the monster went away.

The family continued walking. "Seriously, my child, I wouldn't even take his threats to heart," She chuckled and pat his head. "But I'll cheer you on for your next battle... with your #1 rival!" She said in a false booming, announcer voice that sounded more appropriate for a wrestling match. They all laughed.

"I honestly just hope he doesn't hurt himself again..." Habriel sighed after chuckling to Toriel's joke. "The guy's a kid...Although, I do admit. He's got some stones in more ways than one..."

"Whaddya mean, Habriel?" Frisk asked, not quite understanding what he meant. 

"You'll get it when you're older." Habriel said.


	25. Chapter 25

They continued through until they reached Snowdin, finally. It seemed like it had been months since they'd been to town, let alone visit anyone there, but they were all too tired and decided to pass through to go home. Frisk promised themselves that they'd visit the skeleton brothers once they had free time.

"God, it's been forever since we've been to the ruins...." Habriel muttered to himself. "A lot's changed since we were last there...."

"I can't wait to go to sleep," Frisk said, droopy. Their exhaustion just hit them. "I'm really tired." Chara looked around as they all walked through slowly. Toriel thought of getting inside and putting wood in the fireplace. Perhaps baking a pie. It would be nice.

"Marion would have loved it here..." he said as he pulled her soul out of his pocket and took a good long look at it. He sighed and put it back in and looked down at the ring she gave him. It was a silver ring with an amethyst jewel carved into it. He pulled out his necklace and took a good look at that as well.

Toriel put a hand on his shoulder, smiling sadly.  
"We're home," She said. He looked up and they were standing in front of the porch steps and front door.  
Frisk sat down on the steps for a minute.

Habriel walked to the side and pulled out three bottles of water. He handed one to Toriel, another to Frisk and he drank the final one for himself.

"Home sweet home..." a familiar voice said. Seraph's specter appeared. "Might get some rest before that goat monster puts you out of your misery..." he gave an unsettling smile at Habriel.

"Pfft. What, you mean the 'Blazing Blade' or whatever? Put me out of my misery? When, in a couple more years?" Habriel chuckled and shook his head at Seraph. "Probably not."  
Toriel and the others listened in as they argued. Chara sighed. They all went inside the house.

"He might seem harmless now..." Seraph said. "But I'm sure with my assistance..." Habriel opened his eyes and the rest of the family caught that little threat right before they went inside. 

"You can't possibly help someone else, could you?" Toriel asked in a severe tone. "Even if you could, you'd most likely hurt him beyond repair in the process. You're too strong against someone like him." She declared, sure that things would still be fine despite the clear threat Seraph posed.

"All I need is to take over and stand perfectly still...." Seraph smiled. "When that monster gets close enough...." he made a motion of slicing his throat with one finger with a little sound effect. 

"So.. you're saying you could just kill him... but you just said you could possess him," Chara retorted. 

"If he and I were to fight and I wasn't stuck in this state...." Seraph said. "He wouldn't stand a chance. However, all he needs is to use a little more of my power each time he fights. Might wanna be careful when I take over. I could be a little....reckless...."

"Oh be quiet," Frisk blurted and they went inside. Frisk went straight to bed without eating, face-planting on the covers without getting in them. Chara sat down on the floor of the living room by the fireplace. Toriel went there with Habriel, too.

"Uggghhh...." Seraph groaned as Habriel read a book by himself in the living room. Toriel sat on the sofa was reading her book about snails. "This sooo boring...." Seraph muttered. 

"You can always go away..." Habriel said while flipping a page. 

"No~" Seraph groaned. "I wanna have some fun! Walk outside for a couple seconds, maybe someone could be out there waiting to kill you! I don't know something-" Habriel back-handed the specter without taking his eyes off the book. The specter fell to the ground and didn't make a sound. Habriel leaned over and saw the specter was unconscious. Habriel snorted. 

Toriel sat reading for a little while until she decided to go to the kitchen. It had been a while since they came home, and they'd all eaten at the same restaurant for a day or two, so she thought it would be nice for them to all sit down to a home cooked meal. She set to work.

"Mom, you're not gonna believe this..." Habriel chuckled. He pointed over at the unconscious ghost. "Look at sleeping beauty over there..." 

Toriel poured a mixture of ingredients into a pie tin and turned around, wiping her apron. "Yes, my child?"  
She spotted the unconscious specter on the floor. "Uh... how did you do that?" She slid the pie tin onto a rack inside the oven and closed it, turning a few knobs and turning it on.

"I accidentally knocked him out when he was bothering me..." Habriel said. He looked over. "Need a hand?"

"Oh uh no thank you, my child," Toriel smiled. "All that's left to do is set the table, really." She took out plates, forks, knives, and napkins, placing them all in the center of the table.   
"But I can do that soon. You just relax, Habriel."

"Alright." Habriel said. He walked over and put a book mark in the book he was reading. He closed it. With the title showing one word Toriel had never seen before. 'Utak: Book 1' it said. 

"My child-" Habriel stopped and turned around. "What... where did you get that book? I've never seen it before." Toriel removed and folded her apron up, storing it in a drawer under the sink.

"In the woods between here and Snowdin." Habriel said. "I nearly tripped over it. Or I should say that I accidentally kicked it. Since it was covered in snow. I figured one man's trash is another man's treasure."

"Hmm." Toriel checked on the meal heating in the oven, turning on the interior light. "Are you enjoying it? I'm surprised it wasn't that damaged after being in the snow..." She opened the cupboard and retrieved glasses, placing them around the table.

"It's fascinating.!" Habriel said. "It's a little complicated at first. But it's really good. I really like the hero and his friends. They always seem to know exactly what to do. They're fearless, too. No matter the danger, they charge in and watch each other's backs."

Toriel smirked. "Well that sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?" She chuckled and began to set the table.

"It does?" Habriel raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it does," She set a plate down and looked at her son. "It sounds like you, Frisk, and Marion... well, and Chara."

"Really?" Habriel blushed and sat down at the table.

"Of course, my child. You all always worked together and faced danger with the goal of protecting each other," She sat down beside him for a minute.

"I mean..." Habriel paused. "It's just that...every fight I'm in....I'm not feeling brave or courageous...I feel scared...." he shrugged.

"That's okay," She hugged him. "But you do your best, and you do what you think is right; that's what it sounds like those characters do in that book." She pat the cover of the novel.

He hugged her back. "Thank you..." he muttered.

"I'm... really sorry about Marion, Habriel... but I know she's rooting for you," She murmured.

"She never left me..." Habriel said as he showed Toriel his new ring.

"Where did you get this?" She marveled at the shiny ring that adorned his finger brightly. "Did she give this to you?"

Habriel held his head down. "Yeah..." he said. "She slipped it on before she..."

Toriel did not need hear more, and hugged him tight. "I'm really sorry." 

Frisk gradually awoke face-down on their bed covers feeling quite groggy, their joints aching with each movement they made. The smell of dinner baking wafted through the hall and the open doorway to their room, which helped wake them. They were relieved to recall that they were home.

Habriel hugged back again and looked down at the book. "You know, it sounds silly." He said. "But you seem to like reading, too. I was wondering if at some point, we can read this together...."

"Of course, my child, I'd love to. Maybe we can start after dinner."

Frisk peeled themselves off their sheets and stumbled into the hallway, making their way down to the living room to see Chara sitting on the floor in thought.

Habriel looked over and chuckled. "Look who decided to come join us..." he said. "Sleep well?"

Their hair stuck up in different directions and they had markings on their face where they lay over folded sheets. They didn't look awake quite yet. They blinked and nodded slowly in response to his question, dragging themselves to a chair and sitting down. Chara entered the room and sat at the table with them.

Habriel chuckled as Frisk just rested their head in their hands, unable to wake up. The oven finally went off and Toriel went to get the pie.

"Allllright," Their mother hoisted the pie up off the oven rack and onto the counter to cool a bit before it was served. She then placed a trivet onto the center of the tabletop and placed the pie with a serving utensil proudly.   
"I'm so glad we're home," She said, rejoicing in this time at the house.

"I think we all are." Habriel chuckled. He turned to Seraph. "Okay, that might have been a lie..." He smiled at everyone else at the table. "God, I've missed this feeling."

"I'm... also glad," Chara admitted. "It's been years." They smiled a warm smile.  
Frisk woke up a little more and agreed. Toriel sliced up the pie, designating slices for all of them and putting them on their plates.

"By the way, which pie did you make?" Habriel asked curiously. 

"Well, this is something slightly different than what we normally have because I wanted to experiment. Tonight is shepherd's pie- it has peas, carrots, meat, and mashed potatoes in it. I do hope you like it." She announced, and Frisk's eyes became bright and starry. They immediately started eating as Toriel sat down to begin.

"It's really good." Habriel said as he finished a couple bites. Frisk nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad! You're all welcome to have more if there's any left," She chuckled as she watched her children heartily consume the pie. This was a welcome sight.

Everyone had seconds and were all stuffed when they finished. Habriel sighed while stretching out. "I think I'm gonna head outside and workout for a bit..." he said. "I could use the exercise."

Toriel and Frisk laughed, and Chara smirked at his remark. "Me too," said Frisk. "I need some training anyway."  
"You wanna come with?" Habriel gasped. Frisk nodded their head, he smiled in response.  
"Don't forget, Habriel- we can read that book later," Toriel reminded, and stood up to collect up the plates and silverware. 

"Don't worry." Habriel said. "I didn't forget. It'll just be a quick one out front." He walked upstairs to change and came back down stairs wearing baggy pants and a towel around his neck. The others noticed that he was well built. "Since when were you mister macho?" Frisk asked.

"If I have one good thing to say about those priests." Habriel said. "It's that even though they hardly fed us, they did manage to keep us healthy. Even if it was for their own twisted reasons."

Frisk decided to follow him outside, wanting to train under his supervision and help. Though they were stuffed; they felt as if they could barely move and they teetered after him chaotically out the door. Chara and Toriel looked at each other and shrugged.

"I'm just gonna do a couple quick workouts." Habriel said. "You might get a little sore if you do the same thing as me. You sure you want to the same thing?"

"Uhh... are there simpler versions?" They asked innocently, and he chuckled. "I dunno. I did want to, but now that you say that..." 

"I'm doing what's called a '2 minute AMRAP'." Habriel explained. "AMRAP is an acronym for 'As Many Repetitions As Possible'. I'm gonna do one for push ups, sit ups, and squats, then finish it with a little stretch out." He knelt down. "I guess a simpler version would be a 1 minute version. Think you can handle that?"

"Wait... is it like... repeating each of those, one minute each one after the other? Or just doing them in order for as many times as possible in a minute?" Frisk asked, confused already. They blushed and laughed a bit, wondering how dumb they sounded to someone like him.

"It seems a little complicated at first." Habriel said. "But it's quite simple. As I said, I'm gonna do one for push ups, sit ups, and squats. That means there is a total of six minutes. The first two minutes, I'm gonna try to get as many push ups done as possible within those two minutes. For the second, I'm gonna try to get as many sit ups done as possible. And, for the last two minutes, I'm gonna try to get as many squats done as possible."

"Ohhh... so instead of six minutes, I do three?" They asked. "I... think I can do it. I just can't do push ups that well..." They looked down. "I don't have much upper-body strength is all. I'll try it, though."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Habriel said. "It is a little hard, but I have faith in you." He rested a hand on their shoulders. He looked over back to the house. "Would it make you feel better if Mom and Chara were here to cheer you on?"

"Oh uh n-no, it's fine, they'd just laugh," They said quickly. "I may be quick with dodging, but I'm not the fittest person in the world, heh heh... especially compared to you... I'll just try."

"Ready?" he asked as he went over to a corner of the front yard and held a push up position. "I'll be here with you through the whole thing."

"Uh okay," They walked over to him and lowered themselves into a push up position as well. Habriel could already see their arms shaking slightly beneath their torso as they held themself up off the ground.

"We'll do this nice and easy together." He slowed himself down for Frisk as they wouldn't be able to keep up. He purposefully did it with them for the minute they were doing it. "You're doing great." he said thirty seconds in. Frisk was already sweating and breathing heavily, feeling their arms get more and more weak. But Habriel's encouragement filled them with Determination, and they kept going. "Finish strong." Habriel said in the last ten seconds. They kept going and Habriel clapped his hands for them when they were done with the push ups. "Awesome!" he said. 

They heaved and laid down on the ground. "Thanks," They said face-down. "Now what?" They asked, panting and sweating from the meager exercise. 

"Well..." Habriel said. "There's still the sit ups and squats to do. But you can take a break and get a drink of water, if you want." He got back up in push up position. "In the meantime, I'll do my push up AMRAP."

"Okay, I'll get some water and watch," They went inside and came out soon enough with a bottle. They sat down cross-legged across from Habriel as he began his exercise.

He banged out push ups, non-stop. He was going much faster than before. Frisk started to hear him pant and slow down. He dropped to his knees, moved his arms for a couple seconds, then got right back to doing push ups. Frisk had lost count, but when Habriel was done, he had gotten fifty four push ups done. "Alright!" he celebrated, standing up and raising an arm in the air. "Beat my old record!"

He turned and looked at Frisk. Their mouth was wide open, and so were their eyes. They'd never seen anything like it. "Whoa... how do you even do that?" They asked as if they were still watching him do it.

"Lots and lots of practice..." Habriel said. "Hard work and Determination. As long as you got those going for you, you can do anything."

They seemed to be in a stupor by his awesomeness. They wanted to learn from him. "What do we do next? Sit ups? I think I'm ready."

"Alright." he said. He sat down and bent his knees and had his hands behind the back of his neck. "Ready?" he asked. 

They quickly followed suit and readied themselves, getting into the correct position. "I'm ready."  
They both began to do sit ups. Habriel may have been much faster, but Frisk was determined, and was already much more skilled at these than in push ups. They started off with a decent pace, only starting to tire out after twenty sit ups.

"You've got this, Frisk." Habriel encouraged while doing sit ups. "Just gotta keep going."

They smiled, though their midsection was beginning to grow sore. They continued doing the sit ups until their minute was up.

Habriel kept going. He was starting to get sore, but he fought through the pain until his two minutes were up. "Fourty Two..." Habriel grunted. He got up and bent over to catch his breath. "Ready for the squats?" Habriel asked. "I'll show you how to do one." He spread his feet apart to be about the same width as his shoulders. He made sure he was on his heels, and not the balls of his feet. He made it look as if he was sitting down on nothing. Keeping his chest out and bringing his hands in front of his face. He made sure that his butt was on the same level as his knees. He then stood up straight. "That's one squat." He said. "Think you can do it. These are the easiest reps for me."

"Yeah, that doesn't look that hard," Frisk said. Before they both began, Frisk tried it out and was fine with it. "Let's do it."  
Habriel counted down and they both started.

Frisk soon learned that after doing lot of them, they were gonna have a bad time. After their minute was up, they layed flat on the ground with their sore legs, watching Habriel finish his workout. He banged them out so quickly, Frisk lost count. "Habriel raised another fist in the air when he was done. "One hundred and thirteen, baby!" He shouted, followed by an exaggerated cheer for himself. "I-AM-THE-MAN!" He celebrated while pounding his chest. "I'm gonna be sore as Hell, tomorrow. But it'll be worth it."

"Oof," Frisk exhaled and laughed at Habriel's enthusiasm. "Amazing, Habriel!" They clapped for his performance.

"Alright..." Habriel said. "Now it's important to stretch before and after a workout. We messed it up, but..." he shrugged. "No pain, no gain I guess." 

"We can stretch now, though," They said, standing and beginning to stretch their legs individually. "Wow, I can tell I'll be sore. Thank you for training me, Habriel! It was fun!"

"Glad you liked it!" He smiled as he went over to the wall. He placed his knee right on it with his shin against the wall while he sat up straight and leaned against it. He did the same with his other leg. They both went back in the house when they were done.

Toriel spotted them when they entered, beaming. "You're back! That was fast."  
Frisk saw Chara laying on the carpet, bored. "Do you wanna play a board game, Chara?" Frisk asked, catching their attention. "Sure."

"Well, I did say that it was gonna be quick..." Habriel laughed. "I'll take a quick shower, change and we can start reading the book."

"Alright my child, I'll wait here," She sat down at the table with the book to wait for him. While he was down the hallway, she watched Frisk and Chara play a game together on the floor in the living room. She smiled.

Habriel wasn't lying. He made the shower quick and changed into a pair of black sweat pants and a black tank top. "Hey guys." He said as he made his way back into the room while Toriel watched Frisk and Chara play together.

"Would you like to start reading?" Toriel asked him. He nodded and sat down beside her at the table, opening the book. "Where should we begin? The start, or from where I am in the book currently?" The boy asked his mother.

"Whichever you prefer, my child." She said. 

"I guess its only fair we start from the beginning." He said.

"Alright."   
Habriel opened the book to the first page and they began to read it together.

After a few minutes of reading and getting to know the characters. Habriel looked over at Toriel. "So what do you think about Utak and his brother?" he asked. 

"They seem like a close family," she noted. "And they are very strong in their magic. I guess it's because they trained for a long time," She said, looking at the pages.

"Their father's a little strict, but he seems pretty cool..." Habriel said. "I think there's more to him than the book's showing..."

"Perhaps. That is how it seems," She said, squinting at the words. "I apologize my child, please excuse me- I must go get my glasses," She excused herself and went out of the room for a moment. In a moment, she returned wearing a pair of spectacles.   
"I'm back."

"Look like a teacher in those..." Habriel chuckled. 

Her eyes lit up. "I do? I've always wanted to be a teacher," She grinned. "Thank you, my child."

"Wow, really?" Habriel asked. "That's cool! What subject would you teach?"

"Perhaps an English class. I do enjoy literature," She patted the book and smiled. "But being a queen sort of gets in the way of things. Why don't we get back to the story, shall we?"

"Alright!" Habriel nodded his head. After a about a half hour of reading Habriel gasped. "Oh my God! The Thalmor just found them!"

Toriel's eyes grew wide. "What's going to happen? What do you think will happen, Habriel?" Toriel asked her son.

"Well, I hope they get away..." he said. They kept going in. "Oh no! The father was left behind...."

Toriel was focused while she read with him; her eyes scanned the pages at a decent rate as he read. She was absorbed in the plot and conflicts between the characters.

"Yo, they just boarded a pirate ship!" Habriel gasped. 

"Wait, why did they do that?" Toriel questioned. "What?"

"They boarded it to help the Imperial Legion." Habriel said, pointing at a paragraph to her. "See? They need a ship to get to that one country they wanna get to. What was it called, again?" He rubbed his chin. "Cyrodiil! They wanna get to Cyrodiil!"

"It's wonderful. There's an entire world inside this one novel," Toriel murmured dreamily, reading on. "It's just amazing how someone can create something like this."

"Wait a minute..." Habriel said. He looked at the cover of the book. "The author's anonymous, but it was for a world created by a group called Bethesda. Seems a bunch of people made this world. Wait! This is based off a video game!?" he gasped. "All this stuff's in one game!?"

"It's a game? If we had the correct game consoles and other necessary technology, I'd try to find it for you, my child," Toriel stated. "And maybe try the game out myself," She added, smiling. "It's intriguing."

"We can always save up for that stuff." Habriel laughed. "I just gotta get a job. Although, I don't think many places take in fourteen year old kids with deadly curses...." He rubbed his chin. "Royal Espionage it is!" he pointed at a non-existent thought bubble. 

"My child, your mother is a queen," Toriel snorted and laughed. 

"Oh okay." Habriel said. "A less dangerous job, then. Like the Royal Guard or the Royal Sentry." he joked.

"That's as good as being the River Person's boat rudder," she answered quickly. They both laughed.

"I can always use Seraph as a paddle." Habriel chuckled. 

She laughed loudly and high-fived him. "That would be funny! Let's be careful not to wake him, though," She realized, looking over at the specter's body.

"I'd make him wear orange cologne, but I don't think even the piranhas would want him." Habriel chuckled, looking at the specter.

"Alright, why don't we forget about him for a little while? This book is a pretty good distraction," Toriel chuckled. 

They kept reading for a while. "Oh my God!" Habriel gasped. "This is where I was. He just got mauled!"

"I guess we didn't take too long to get back to where you were then. Would you like to continue, or read more another time?"

"I can keep going." Habriel said. "How about you?"

"Sure, why not?" She resolved. "But we can stop whenever you wish. I also think the children might want to play a game with you eventually. Just a warning," She winked.

"Let's sit by the fire and tell each other spooky stories!" Frisk suggested. Habriel chuckled. "Alright." He said. "We'll get to it when you and Chara are done with that game." 

"Then we can read in the meantime," Toriel said. Frisk and Chara continued their game with fervor; at this point, it was neck-and-neck in a Monopoly game. Frisk had somehow captured and placed hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place, Chara kept landing on those spaces, yet kept surviving. Chara was running out of money, though. They grunted.

Toriel and Habriel kept reading. "Wait a minute." Habriel said. "Did Utak's brother just?" He paused. 

They looked at each other in disbelief. "I think he did..." She murmured. 

"Wow...." Habriel said. "Right at the beginning, too...."

Toriel sighed. "Well, I guess the writer wanted it to happen..."  
From the other room, they could hear Chara yelling and Frisk announcing their victory over them in the game. Chara ended up broke because of Frisk's hotels, and they'd never let them live it down.

"Welp..." Habriel said. "Time for some spooOOooky stories..." Habriel waved his hands around.

"Oooh! Yes!" Frisk rubbed their hands together.   
Frisk and Chara stored all the hotel and house pieces as well as player pieces in a bag and folded up the game, putting it in its box and putting it on a shelf. "Let's do this!" Frisk was excited. 

"I'll save mine for last..." Habriel said. "I think I'll be able to end the night on a high note."

Toriel walked over and lit a fire in the fireplace and sat down with them on the carpet by her armchair.   
"Just make sure you can sleep tonight," Toriel warned Frisk. "Yeah, Mom." 

"Alright!" Habriel rubbed his hands. "Let's hear it."

Frisk cleared their throat and began in a solemn, almost monotone voice.  
"There was a young child. They were in a dark, violet maze which twisted and turned with pitfalls near every step they took. They felt like they had been walking for hours; their legs began to ache and their mind was going numb from the monotonous surroundings. Then suddenly, they came to a large area that was blocked by a glowing, frightening form. It rose before them, crying white hot buckets of tears which stung to the touch. It's ghastly wails filled up the room. Its eyes were pure white orbs and it floated well above the floor, lamenting each passing second of its existence..." They stopped for a moment to let the scene sink in.  
"Aaaand that's how I met Napstablook!" They broke the atmosphere cheerfully.

"Pretty spooky..." Habriel said. "Let's see what Chara can do..."

"Oh hoh hoh you don't want me telling a ghost story," Chara warned, putting their hands up in front of their face.   
"Really."

"Oh I do..." Habriel said. "I want you to send chills down my spine."

Toriel put her hands over Frisk's ears and Frisk made movement to protest but gave up.  
"Alright..." Chara conceded. "I'll tell you a story that is partially true," they decided after thinking it over  
a bit. "A story that takes place here in the underground not far from this house. It takes place in a house  
we know well as a place of friendship, warmth, and delight. That is not how it is in this story.   
It was not always so cheery there as we know it; it was cold and empty once, even while housing two  
of our greatest companions. They were living with one other whom you do not know, Habriel," They pointed to him. The fire lit up Chara's face, illuminating their cold, demonic expressions.  
"This person housed a great machine in their heart; this machine is the core."

"Really?" Habriel asked. "Do go on..."

Toriel's face changed; she seemed to know what was coming in the story. She seemed to recognize it and know who Chara was talking about.  
"You do know about the core, correct?" Chara asked. "It's one of the most powerful machines on Earth. This person created it. He had assistants manage the core with him, controlling it. It provided the power for the entire Underground, and still does today... One day, this genius made a fatal mistake. His sons were at home while it happened. Ever been to the core? If you've been to Hotland, you probably have by now," Habriel nodded.  
"Well. You know how it... doesn't have railings?" They asked devilishly.   
"He was walking from one portion of the core to the other and slipped. He fell in. He was obliterated in a matter of seconds. It tore his particles apart." Habriel widened his eyes and Toriel seemed plaintive.  
"Some say that he still exists out there... in a space between the timelines. You can ask Sans about him."

"Does he have a skeletal face with an unsettling smile?" He asked. "Wears a black cloak and holes in the palms of his hands?" Chara nodded.

"Yes." They said. "How'd you know?"

"I met him at the library." Habriel said. "He's the guy who gave me the book about Seraph!"

"Whaaat?!" Chara exclaimed. "How?! Also, by the way, his name is W.D. Gaster. I think he was Sans' and Papyrus' father. I can't believe Gaster gave you a book!" They said. "Did you tell anyone about it that day?" They asked.

"Yeah, Sans and Frisk were there with me." He said. "And I told mom about it."

"Huh. Bet it was odd for Sans to see his old man, then," Chara commented casually. "My story's done. You wanna tell one, Habriel?" 

"I do, but does mom have one?" Habriel asked. 

"I'm not really into telling spooky stories, my child." she giggled in response. "Go ahead, you do yours."

"Alright," Habriel said. "My story takes place in a small village filled with humans and monsters. This takes place before the war started." The setting alone peaked the others' interests. "This is a story of a little boy living in that humble village. While no one really had much, including his family. He liked to collect shiny objects. Whether it'd be trinkets, plates, goblets or jewelry when given the chance. The boy liked these shiny objects so much that he started a collection. A collection of shiny objects. However, this boy would only have shiny objects from humans, not the monsters. This was because of his mother. 'Stay away from those monsters, my son.' she would say. 'They look friendly, but they'll snatch you up and take you away from me when given the chance. Much like you and your precious shiny objects.'" Habriel looked over at his family and smiled. "The boy listened to his mother and avoided every monster he saw. Not long after, whether it'd be a couple days, or a couple weeks." Habriel shrugged. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that sometime after, the boy heads out to add more shiny objects to his collection. The boy wandered down the road, away from his house and saw a tall man, beckoning for him to come over. The boy raised an eyebrow, but gasped when the man pulled out a shiny gem." Habriel showed everyone his ring. "Almost like the gem on this ring, but it was MUCH larger and WAY shinier. Amazed, the boy approached the man with starry eyes. 'Wow, mister!' the boy gasped. 'Where'd you get that!?' The tall man smiled in response. 'You like to collect shiny objects.' the man said. 'Me too. Tell you what, I'll give you this gem and show you my collection.' The boy was star struck. They both had a lot in common. They both had a collection, and they both had shiny objects. 'Okay!' the boy exasperated. At that moment, the boy and the tall man with the jewel held hands, and merrily walked down the road to the man's house." Habriel gave everyone a blank look. 'And the boy who liked to collect shiny objects.....was never heard from again...."

"Wait... that's it? He went with the man and was never seen again? That's what you call a spooky story?" Chara asked, flat-toned and eyebrows raised. "Really, Habriel? I expected much more."

"Still a better story than the guy who slipped." Habriel said "What was his name again? W.D.Gaster? What does W.D stand for?"

"Wing Ding..." Chara said. 

"Wow..." Habriel muttered. "His parents have an even worse sense of humor than I do..."

"Except for the fact that he haunts the multiverse somewhere and actually exists- AND you met him." Chara pointed out. 

"I don't know what's scarier..." Habriel said. "That, or having the name 'Wing Ding'? I mean how many monsters thought he was joking about that on his resume?"

"Well, he's a font, like Sans and Papyrus," Chara explained. "Don't you know about wing dings?"

"Wait, then what font is Kaizer?" Habriel asked. A white dog came out of nowhere, Habriel had never seen it before.

"Times New Roman, friendo." The dog said. 

"What is a dog doing here?" Habriel asked dumbfounded. "And, did it just talk, and give me the correct answer?"

"I... guess so..." Frisk said, looking at the strange animal. "It also seems oddly familiar..."

"Oh, you don't remember me?" The dog asked. "How rude!" He opened his mouth, revealing an ancient red artifact. "Remember this?" He asked.

They all stared at the dog in silence. 

"What even is that?" Habriel asked.

The dog was growing impatient with the bunch.  
Frisk, Chara, and Toriel all looked at each other without knowing what to say.

"Wow, you guys are boring..." the dog said while turning around. "I'm outta here." Not a second later, the dog skipped off.

"Well...." Habriel said. "That just happened....."

"How did he get in the house...?" Toriel asked. "Did somebody leave a window open or something?"

"I used the ancient artifact!" The dog shouted from outside. Before anyone could say that it doesn't explain much, the dog ran off.

"I... think I should close and lock the windows from now on," Toriel said quietly, to which the children agreed.

"I feel more spooked by that dog than any of our stories..." Habriel said.

"Alright, it's getting late," Chara stated. "Maybe we should go to bed..."

"Yeah..." Habriel said while stretching out. "I don't know about the rest of you....but I'm dead tired..."

Toriel led Frisk and Chara out of the room for sleep, returning shortly and handing Habriel his book.  
"We can read more of this tomorrow," she said.

"Right. " Habriel said, putting the book on the bookshelf. "G'night." He said while turning around to face her.

She kissed him goodnight and they each separated to their own rooms, blowing out the fire.


	26. Chapter 26

Habriel struggled to get out of bed. He really was sore from the workout yesterday. "Great...." he grunted as he leaned on the railing, getting downstairs.

Frisk woke up a little later, also struggling their way out of bed. They grunted, flipping the covers off of themselves and swinging their legs over the side of the bed. They wondered if working out like that regularly would help the pain or hurt them more. 

Habriel went over to the fridge and drank a good amount of water before everyone else came down.

"Hey," Frisk greeted, coming down the stairs in pain. "Oof, that workout did me in." Chara floated down the stairs behind them.

"Welp..." Habriel said. "No pain, no gain...

Toriel joined them shortly. "Are you okay, Frisk? Habriel?" She asked, seeing their pained expressions.   
Habriel chuckled. "Yeah, Mom, we're fine. It's just yesterday's workout we're feeling."

He reached up and grabbed Frisk a cup of water. "This'll help." He said as he handed it to them.

Chara sat down with the others. 

"Let's try and get that last human soul, we need." Habriel said. "He'll probably still be over by the garden in the ruins..."

"You plan to kill him, my child?" Toriel asked, turning around from the counter.

"What are you talking about?" Habriel asked. "The guy's been dead. I already killed him, remember?"

"Oh right. I had forgotten." She continued her business. "So what do you plan to do once you get his soul?" She asked without turning.

"Head to Asgore's castle, get the other six..." Habriel said. "Find Flowey and revive Asriel...."

"Do you think you'll be able to do all that in one day?" Frisk wondered, thinking of the many implications the journey and task could involve.

"Depends on how easily we can find Flowey..." Habriel said. "But I know one thing is for sure, whether it'd be today or next week. Asriel will come back. The Dreemurr family has done so much for me. I might as well help them get their pride and joy back."

"We'll find him," Toriel promised aloud, also trying to convince herself that things would go back to normal with Asriel around. "I really do appreciate what you're trying to do, Habriel," She said as she came over with breakfast. "Thank you."

"You don't have to..." he said. "It's the least I can do."

Outside, something small was peeking in from up the bottom of the window. It recoiled back away from the pane; it heard enough. It began to retreat from the soil at the house.

"Speak of the devil...." Habriel smiled.

"What?" Toriel looked around. "What do you mean?"   
"Yeah, what?" Frisk asked, standing up from their chair to look outside. "What did you see, Habriel?" They asked.  
The flower had already retreated a few feet away.

Utadukeeus:

"You can come out now, Flowey," Habriel said looking out the window. "I already saw you."

Sure enough, the flower emerged from the soil and turned around to see who was calling him.   
"Oh. It's you," He said darkly. "What do you want? To fight me again?"

"I think you and I both know what I'm up to..." Habriel said. "Please, just stay with us and make this process easier. You get the power of a God, and we get to be happy. It's a win-win."

"You think I want the power of a god?" Flowey asked, disgusted. "What or who do you think I am?" He spat.   
"Nobody likes me. That's it! It's a pretty simple concept to me, so why can't you understand that?"

"Oh, quit kidding yourself...." Habriel said. "You're many things. But not a good liar..."

"Just leave me alone!" The plant snarled at him, not wanting to speak to anyone. "Stop talking to me."

"You're just pissed cause you got caught," Habriel said. "Now stop being so difficult."

"What are you going to do to me?" Flowey said, frustrated. "Why don't you just snip my stem and end it all?"  
He glared at the boy.

"Why not just shoot a bunch of friendliness pellets at me?" Habriel asked. "Who knows, one just might kill me..."

The flower huffed defiantly and tried to shoot down into the dirt below, but Habriel wasn't about to let him do that.

Habriel rushed over with a shovel and a flower pot. He quickly dug up the flower who was hissing at him as he placed it in the flower pot. "This is embarrassing!" Flowey protested.

"Oh don't be a baby," Habriel said. He walked back into the house with the angry flower. "Guess who wants to say hi?" He asked, presenting the flower to everyone.

Only Flowey's face was visible from the dirt as he squirmed his stem this way and that, contorting himself until he couldn't move lower in the pot. Frisk, Chara, and Toriel peered into the pot and were shocked.  
"Flowey?" Frisk said. The flower rolled his eyes.   
"Yes, yes, hello again," He sulked.

"Welp..." Habriel said. "Hard part's done. Now, we just gotta get the souls."

Flowey shot out of the dirt, straining his stem like it was his neck. He thrust his head as far out as he could go, and Chara and Frisk were trying their best to hold him in the pot.

The flower glowed violet and couldn't move. "There we are!" Habriel laughed.

Flowey panicked. "Wha- what's happening to me?! What have you done?!" He screeched at Habriel.

"Relax," Habriel said. "I initiated a battle and turned you violet so you can't escape."

"It's a pretty dirty trick, Habriel- I didn't think you were the one to trap people like that," Flowey snarled. 

"Hey, Frisk..." Habriel turned to them. "How many times has Flowey fought you on equal grounds?"

Frisk shrugged. "I really only fought him once in this timeline, so it's hard to say."  
Habriel turned back to Flowey, who was raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, let me rephrase it..." he said. "How many times has he surrounded you with his pellets, and you couldn't escape. And when he didn't do that, was he using the power of the human souls?"

"What's your point?" Flowey asked.

"You're a hypocrite." Habriel said. 

Flowey sighed and wilted, giving up. "Fine. But what are you after? Why are you doing this?" He asked the boy, eyeing him strangely.

"Is it so hard to believe that I'm trying to pay my debt?" Habriel asked.

"What? Pay a debt? What debt? What does that have to do with me of all people?" He scowled, resting his head on the rim of the flower pot. 

"Toriel and Frisk saved my life how many times?" Habriel asked. "I've lost track. And they also took me under their wing when they hardly knew me. And on top of that. I even suggested thatbI should leave because I'm cursed. They wouldn't have it. They didn't care if I was cursed. They still accepted me. They are the first people in a long time who actually care about me. They say I don't owe them anything. But you know what? I do. I owe them everything. Whether they'll admit to that or not doesn't matter. Because I won't just stand around and watch them suffer. They deserve something for having to put up with me."

"Okay, I understand that, but what does that have to do with me?" Flowey groaned, exasperated.

"Because Asriel deserves to come back too," Habriel said. "Because bringing him back wouldn't have been possible without me. Because of that, it would be cruel of me not to bring him back. After all, its the least I can do..."

"My child, that IS Asriel you're talking to," Toriel said warily.   
"Pfft. Haven't heard that name in a while..." Flowey said, almost reminiscing. So you wanna bring me back, huh?"

"Yes." Habriel said. "If I don't. I would be worse than the people I ran away from...."

"What are you talking about, my child? No you wouldn't," Toriel said, trying to convince him otherwise.   
"Yeah, you really didn't have to do this if you didn't want to," Flowey pointed out. 

"Why wouldn't I want to?" Habriel asked. "But i think we've wasted enough time arguing." Habriel looked over his shoulder at Toriel. "Let's go save your son." He walked out the front door and was on his way to the hooded man's corpse.

Flowey sighed in distress. "Hasn't anyone thought about what I want? I mean, it is me you're talking about," He commented, exhausted from the hassle of arguing about the topic with the group. "Seriously."

"Well, what do you want?" Habriel asked. 

The question caught him off guard. He suddenly acted flustered and disgruntled as nobody had asked him that in tens of years. "What?"

"What do you want?" Habriel repeated.

Flowey blushed in shock.  
"Oh uh... I guess... well, it wouldn't be too..." He trailed off, indecisive. He began to sweat, as he couldn't make a decision.

"From the way I see it..." Habriel said. "You don't know what you want. But we want to do something for you. You have nothing to lose from this. In fact, you'll only benefit from this. Am I starting to make sense?"

"I... I guess," The flower yielded to Habriel's words. "A-alright."

"Thanks for understanding." Habriel said. "Now, let's go..."

The plant bowed his head as Habriel carried his pot to the body of the man.

"You know what?" Habriel said. He put the pot down and Flowey stopped glowing violet. "I doubt you'll wanna run away, now..."

Flowey nodded silently as he was placed down. "It's fine," Flowey muttered. "You certainly don't have to worry about that anymore."

Habriel took a deep breath as he went over to the flower bed and found the corpse. It was already rotted, but a dark blue soul was casually floating above it.

Habriel casually put his hands around the small, floating soul and brought it up in his hands.

Suddenly, Toriel's phone went off. She pulled it out and saw a text from Sans.

'Not sure if you're coming to Snowdin today.' It said. 'But be careful, a human is around, looking for Habriel.'

"Oh dear..." Toriel ventured outside the house to find her son. "Habriel? I just received a message from Sans that you should see," She called, finding him in the garden. She flinched when she saw the man's corpse lying among the bright flowers.

"Great..." Habriel sighed. "Another fight....."

She showed him the text. "Who do you think it might be?" She asked, looking at the screen. "Someone dangerous?" She began to text Sans back as she stood by Habriel, asking what the man looked like.  
"What's wrong?" Flowey asked, straining to see the screen.

"The cathedral...." Habriel growled. "It was only a matter of time."

"Finally, some fun..." a voice said. Habriel turned to a smiling Seraph. "They might finally get you..."

"How's your face?"Habriel asked.

"How's your girlfriend?" Seraph responded.

Flowey saw Seraph for the first time, and froze. "Habriel... who is that?" Toriel eyed Seraph lividly.

"Just fine..." Habriel said while showing her soul. "She's at least got better things to do than watch kids all day like a creepy pedophile..."

"Habriel, has this thing been with you all this time?" Flowey broke in the semi-silence. The specter grinned at the flower.

"Yeah, unfortunately he's been around since I was born..." Habriel said. 

"Who is he?" Flowey asked.

"You're looking at one of the seven wizards who sealed the monsters away." Habriel said. The specter tilted his head with an unsettling toothy grin. "And he's my ancestor..."

Flowey put one of his leaves across his face.   
"Out of all of the things that could be..." He mumbled, unamused.

"Out of all the things that could be what, exactly?" Seraph asked while still grinning. "Perhaps you could do me a favor and end all this..." he slowly floated around the flower. "I know someone who likes to have fun when I see them..." he said. "Why not go wild again? Let some of that frustration loose!" He was behind the flower as he pointed a skeletal finger at Habriel. "Make him your plaything. Show him who's really in charge..." he chuckled.

"NO... no. That's not what we're here for. That's not what we're doing, and you're not going to get in our way," Flowey refused to hear anything of the sort of what Seraph was suggesting. 

"Oh come on?" Seraph sighed. "He's just one little boy. What does it matter? He wants to help you just so he can wipe away his debt. He doesn't care about you, or anyone else. He just wants that happy ending. Are you really gonna let him toy around with them like that?" Seraph grinned as he floated towards Habriel who was not amused in the slightest. "Let's teach him a lesson." Seraph chuckled. 

"Nah, I'm actually gonna let him do this this time," Flowey conceded to Habriel, annoying Seraph infinitely.   
"I've been toying around enough. It's time I let go."

"How boring..." Seraph sighed.

"Don't like it?" Habriel asked. "You can always try and do it yourself..." Habriel motioned for Seraph to come closer as he gave a livid grin. "I'm more than happy to go for round two..."

Flowey grunted harshly. "I'm so sick and tired of this stupid drama; just let me be Asriel again," He demanded, trying to prevent them from battling.

"You're right." Habriel said. "Besides, you have to be pretty pathetic to start picking fights with a kid." Habriel started making his way out of the ruins. "Now, I'm gonna deal with this other degenerate in Snowdin. They're in our way..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Flowey asked.

"A human in Snowdin's looking for me." Habriel said. "They could only come from one place, the cathedral. Thankfully, they haven't attacked any monsters, yet."

"Won't it get in the way to take me with you?" Flowey asked, concerned that he'd only serve as a distraction and/or hindrance for the boy.

"You can all come with, if you want." Habriel said. "None of you have ever gotten 'in my way' before. I doubt it'd start now. If anything, you're all very helpful if I'm gonna be honest."

"Alright, I hope that I can help in some way," Flowey said, looking at the boy.

Everyone followed Habriel as he made his way to Snowdin. It didn't take long as there was a young human woman asking the monsters for Habriel. He approached her. "Looking for me?" he asked her. She turned around and widened her eyes in shock. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what happened to my father." she said.

"Your father?" Habriel asked.

"He was assigned a while back to retrieve you." she said. "Where is he? Where are you holding him?"

"I'm sorry...." Habriel said. 

Flowey peered up at Habriel's face, then to the girl.  
"Who's that?" He muttered under his breath. "Someone you know?"

"No." Habriel said. "But I have a good idea on who her father might be..."

"Where is he?" she asked, grabbing his shirt out of desperation. Habriel backed away and sighed as he pulled out the dark blue soul.

"Oh... great..." Flowey realized slowly what was going on. "Habriel, you'll just have to let me go. Give the soul to her," He insisted reluctantly, watching the girl's face.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" She screamed into his face. She pushed him. "YOU MURDERER! YOU KILLER!"

"I'm sorry..." he said, handing it over to her. "This is all I can give back."

"You're wrong..." she chuckled darkly. "The Cathedral figured out how to achieve the impossible. How to resurrect the dead. But it requires the soul of a monster." She pointed at Toriel. "You! Come with me!" Habriel stood in the woman's way.

"Not going to happen." Toriel growled.

"Leave Mom and Habriel alone!" Flowey yelled, getting riled up by the girl's expletives and violence.

"And you are coming with me, boy!" The girl said to Habriel.

"Alright, I'm trying to be nice here..." Habriel said. "But I think its time you leave."

"I'm not taking orders from a sex toy." She snapped.

"What did you just call me?" Habriel asked.

"HEY!" Flowey screeched, causing Habriel to flinch and drop him on the ground. The girl had put her hands over her ears.

The girl took her hands off her ears. "I know who you are." She growled. "Thought you could escape that life? You're foolish. I'm taking you back with me, whether you like it or not."

"Really?" Habriel asked. "You know what?"

"What?" She asked.

"We could have resolved this peacefully. " Habriel said. "However, we also happen to need seven souls to revive Asriel. It doesn't matter where they come from."

The girl smiled. "If anyone dies tonight, it's you." She said. "There will be no peace, not for you or anyone else."

Habriel raised his hand and a beam of light went through the girl's head. However the girl turned transparent she turned out to be an illusion. The real girl emerged from behind a tree and attacked Habriel, knife in hand. He grabbed her arm and threw her into the trees. She grunted and ran off into the woods. "Coward!" Habriel snapped as he materialized a violet sword and chased after her.

Flowey shot back down into the dirt and followed Habriel frantically. If the girl attacked him again, Flowey worried he'd have to resort to using his 'friendliness pellets' to get the situation under control. She wasn't listening to Habriel, obviously.

Habriel chased the girl out of the woods and into a field of ice. "Fool." Habriel said. "Now you have nowhere to hide."

"Who said I was trying to hide?" She asked as her yellow eyes began to glow. She materialized a handgun and shot a giant yellow beam of light at the cliff behind her. The beam exploded and caused an avalanche. Habriel widened his eyes in horror.

Flowey ripped through the earth and bit into the girl's ankle with all his might. 

She hissed and pointed her gun at the flower, but he borrowed back underground. Habriel ran from the avalanche towards a cave he saw in the distance. He dived into the hole before it closed in, trapping him inside.

Flowey burrowed his way through the dirt until he got up into the cave with Habriel.   
"Hey," He appeared quickly. "I can burrow us outta here."

Flowey tried to make a bigger hole, but the ground was very rough. Flowey grunted and whinced and finally gave up. "Well..." Habriel said. "Guess I'll just have to hold out..."

"Just one second..." Flowey got to work, burrowing in and out of the soil there, making small paths beside each other in the ground. "If I keep burrowing paths close to each other, it can loosen the soil..." He continued.

"Wait.." Habriel said. "What if-" The ground shattered and Habriel fell deeper underground, now unconscious and freezing.

Flowey fell as well, screaming down until he landed beside the unconscious boy. He panicked, trying to use fire magic to warm him without harming him.

Flowey accidentally set Habriel's cloak on fire. He quickly used a bunch of friendliness pellets to put the flame out. 

"I'm gonna go check on them." Chara told Frisk and Toriel. Just when she started floating off to the woods. There was a loud bang and everyone saw the avalanche fall onto the icy field. 

"HABRIEL!" They all screamed and broke into a run towards the site of the avalanche. 

They made their way out to the icy field, completely covered with what was left of the cliffside. "I can still find them!" Chara shouted.

Chara disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Toriel ran up to the edge and looked down the cliff side to see.  
Frisk followed suit.   
"Habriel?! Flowey?!" Chara called out, down below.

Chara took a deep breath and looked for Habriel's soul. They found it deep underground and saw he only had 1 hp left. 

"Oh no..." She flew down closer to see if she could see him on the ground but saw no body. "Where is he?"  
She flew closer and closer to the snowy ground and stopped, seeing the soul still under the white surface. She braced herself and flew beneath the surface to see him in a cave with Flowey.

"I'll be right back to get some help!" Chara told Flowey. She flew back up to tell Toriel and Frisk what's going on.

"Habriel and Flowey have been trapped in a cave underground by the avalanche from that girl! Habriel's only got one HP!" Toriel's heart dropped. She wanted to cry. So did Frisk. But both tried to stay strong.  
"What can we do?" Frisk asked.

"He's stuck in an icy cave, if we make it we can still help him." Chara said. "Mom, your fire magic will come real handy right about now."

Toriel put her hands on her mouth. "Okay... okay, but how do we get down there?"

"I just said...." Chara muttered. "There's no way you and Frisk can dig through all this snow. Habriel would freeze to death by then. But with your fire magic, getting to him should be a breeze."

"OH!" The mother hit herself. She grabbed Frisk's hand. "Alright, Chara, teleport down there. We're coming."  
Quickly, she decided to hold Frisk in her arms, and she melted the snow beneath her feet; they moved down the snow and ice in a vertical column fairly fast and she set Frisk back down when they reached the bottom.  
"Okay, let's find Habriel!"

"We're over here!" Chara's voice echoed from within the cave.

Toriel ran with Frisk until they reached Chara's spot. "He's under the ground?" She asked, breathing heavy.   
"Yeah, we gotta get him and Flowey outta there."

"You better hurry!" Chara said. "He's completely covered in frost. Flowey's doing everything to keep him alive."

Flowey continuously heated Habriel's body with non-burning fire magic (it wouldn't catch anything on fire, like his Mom's fireplace). It was all he could do.  
Toriel immediately thawed through the snow and ice to the solid earth above their heads and got to work, clawing at the dirt.

"Flowey!" Chara called to him. He turned. "Burrow a hole here!" She pointed out. "Mom and Frisk are right there!"

"Right!" Flowey went to work and a bunch of vines tore a whole large enough for Toriel and Frisk to fit through.

"Mom! Guys!" He yelled at seeing them.   
Toriel handed Flowey to Frisk, who held him in their hands, and Toriel took Habriel's body in her arms.  
"Let's go home."

They made it out of the cave and onto the field. They were making their way back when Toriel got knocked over to the ground, dropping Habriel out of her hands. She turned around and saw the enraged daughter covered in frost. 

"He's coming with me!" She yelled, grabbing onto Habriel's cloak.

"Let go of my son!" Toriel yelled, holding onto Habriel's body. "He didn't mean to! Your father attacked us first! I'm sorry!" She pleaded with the girl, not letting go.

The girl yanked Habriel away from Toriel. Not caring about anything the monster had to say. "I'll be back for you..." the girl said, getting ready to run off. However, she tripped over a few vines and was suddenly surrounded by floating pellets.

"Let go of him right now!" The girl heard a shrill voice. It as the flower. Flowey's stem snaked around and appeared near her body. "You leave him and his family alone! You heard what Mom said! Now scram!"

The girl picked up Habriel's body and materialized a yellow gun, holding it against his head. "I'll do it!" She screamed. "I'll blow his brains out if you don't let me go!"

Toriel's tears ran down her face as she looked upon the girl who threatened her son's life. A sentient, more than furious person with the purposeful intent to end her son's life before her eyes.   
"Don't do it..." She begged. "Please."

"Then let me go!" The girl shouted. Suddenly she paused and her eyes turned red, as well as the gun. Not a second later, the girl picked up Habriel and handed him over to the goat lady.

Toriel took the body out of her hands, bewildered. Flowey was, too. He put her down on the ground again.

"It's me, mom." The girl said. "Chara."

"Oh!" Toriel sighed. "Well, what should we do about her? If you leave her body, she'll just come back for Habriel again..." Toriel thought, holding Habriel.

She went over and leaned against a tree, sitting down. "Flowey tie her to the tree." Flowey nodded his head and a large amount of vines wrapped around the girl so she couldn't escape. Chara left her body.

"We'll deal with her later." Chara said. "We should focus on Habriel." Everyone looked down at him and saw he had 0.6 hp.

"I'll begin to try to heal him immediately," Toriel told them.   
"And I have some monster food here if it helps," Frisk suggested, and gave it to their mother who knelt at the boy's body. 

Toriel had never used this on him before, but she felt that now was the time to use her magic to heal him. She was nervous about using it before, not knowing how his body might react. But, now wasn't the time to worry about anything like that. She held out her hand which began to glow turquoise and watched as Habriel's hp slowly began to rise back up. 

Frisk sat by her and watched her work. Chara kept an eye on the girl, and so did Flowey. They weren't going to allow her to interfere with Habriel's healing. They also weren't going to let her hurt or take Habriel or anyone else in his family.

Habriel was back to 10 hp. He slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the blurred figure above him. 

"Habriel, stay still, I'm not done healing you," Toriel murmured as she concentrated. The girl began to wake up within her bonds. 

"What happened?" Habriel asked. "Last thing I remember, I was trapped inside a cave with Flowey...."

"You passed out, my child, and lost too much health... we had to keep you warm," Toriel said as she healed him more. 

"Thanks..." he said. He looked around and saw the girl was tied up to the tree. "So?" he grunted as he struggled to get up. Despite Toriel's protest, he sat up anyway. "What the Hell was that?" he asked the girl. "You wanted me to come back to the Cathedral so badly, yet at the same time stupid enough to cause an avalanche...."

The girl huffed as she looked away from him. 

"You either want to kill me or capture me..." Habriel went on. "You gotta make up your mind."

"Shut up..." she muttered.

"Let's say you do kill me or capture me..." Habriel said. "What then? What would you gain?"

Toriel stared into the girl's face but the girl would not look at any of them. Flowey kept her to the tree.

"Do you even know what your father was doing?" Habriel asked. "Do you know what kind of man he was?"

"Don't you dare insult him in front of me!" she snapped.

"My child," Toriel stood up and walked over, thinking that treating her gently would turn her around.  
"I understand that you loved your father dearly. But what Habriel did was merely out of self-defense. Your father had attacked us, is all.

"I know exactly what he's done!" The girl snapped. "As well as the cathedral. That kid there is less than human. He's a toy, a slave, a sacrifice. He had no right to kill my father!"

"Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree..." Habriel growled. "You're so disgusting, you might make him proud..."

"He's my son, and he deserves just as many things as you do. He's a human, like you. He was just abused by your father, who taught you that something like that was appropriate behavior- which it is not." Toriel answered the girl's repeated threats and insults.

"Don't you dare criticize how my father raised me!" The girl snapped. "Tell me monster, how many children have you raised properly?"

"I have raised four children properly," Toriel answered sternly. "As a matter of fact. And that doesn't even have to do with it."

"Already doing four times better than that guy..." Habriel muttered. 

"Shut up, thing!" she snapped. 

"He is not a THING, he is my son, and a human deserving of everything you deserve!" Her voice grew low and rough, and she caught herself, taking a deep breath in, and letting it out.

The girl huffed and looked away, then turned her head back and smiled. Soon enough, she became transparent and she was no longer tied to the tree. Everyone looked around them and Habriel leaned against the tree, looking into the woods. She appeared out from behind the tree right in front of him. She stabbed him in the gut before he could dodge or block the attack. He grunted as he reached up and weakly grabbed her by the neck. He formed a blade in his other hand and stabbed her as well, right before collapsing with her.

Flowey screamed, moving the barely moving girl away from Habriel as Toriel and the kids ran up to his body.

"We're going to Hell together...." the girl chuckled as she coughed blood. 

"That's where you're wrong..." Habriel chuckled with blood leaking out of his mouth. "Your first mistake was that you came here alone, your second is assuming that they'll let me die..." They both fainted.

Toriel used her cell phone to call for help to carry Habriel's body somewhere else to begin healing him. She and the others couldn't figure out what to do with the girl, however.

The smiling skeleton arrived to the scene not a moment later. "alright." he said. "i've brought what we need."

Flowey shrank down to his normal size, looking at the body of the girl. He frowned.

Sans went over and handed Toriel a first aid kit, which had everything they needed to close the wound. Frisk rushed over with the monster food.

They began to treat his wounds immediately, which did wonders for his health. Flowey came up with them as well.

"Soooo...." Flowey muttered. "How's he doing?" Not knowing what else to talk about.

"He's... well, the stab wound has been treated and covered, and now we're trying our best to heal him," Toriel said busily. "We're working as fast as we can."

"So he'll make it..." Flowey said. He would feel relieved if he could. But he feigned a sigh to ease the tension.

Frisk held some of the medical supplies for Toriel as well as the monster food they brought along with them to heal him when he woke up. Chara sat by them and watched as moral support.

He opened his eyes again and smiled. "I knew you guys had my back." He said.

Toriel smiled. "Here you go, Habriel," Frisk handed him some of the monster food in their arms.   
"To heal more." Toriel pet her son's hair, wondering what would have happened if she and the others were too late.

Habriel held on gently to the hand that stroked his hair, resting his eyes and smiling. He truly felt safe.

"What... should we do about her?" Flowey cut in, gesturing with his stem towards the body of Habriel's attacker.

"I'm not sure..." Habriel said, opening his eyes. "She's too dangerous for us to let go and ignore. However, she can easily escape whatever we hold her in..."

Before anyone could even come up with an idea, they all saw Habriel's LV had increased as her yellow soul slowly floated away from the body. She bled to death.

"Great..." Habriel said. Toriel felt a tear run across her hand. "Another face to haunt my dreams...."

She held him, letting him cry into her. "I understand, Habriel... but we had no choice... it wasn't your fault..."  
Frisk tried hugging him too.

"Well..." Habriel said, smiling sadly. "We won't have to worry about her anymore..."

"I'm sorry, Habriel," Flowey stuttered, trying to be sympathetic for the melancholy boy. "There was nothing you could do to help her, really."

"I know..." Habriel said. "I just wish I could be more like mom and Frisk..."

"But it was an accident, my child, you are like us. You don't want to end up harming others, and we don't either. We're the same," Toriel pointed out to her son, trying to cheer him up. "You never meant for this to happen to that girl."

"I just wish, life wasn't so grey...you know..." Habriel said. "I just wish that it was as easy as talking to them and that they wouldn't want to fight anymore." He held his head in shame. "I'm a miserable creature...."

Simultaneously, Chara and Flowey said, "You and me both." They looked at each other and back awkwardly.  
"Don't worry, my child, we all understand," Toriel whispered.

"It seems we've all done things we regret..." Habriel chuckled.

"What now?" Flowey asked quietly, wondering if he'd ever be back to normal.

"When I get up." Habriel said. "I'm heading to Asgore's castle to get the other souls. If you'd all like to come with, you're more than welcome."

"Who, me?" Flowey asked, surprised. "You'd want me to come with you?"

"If you want." Habriel said. "I won't twist your vine."

"I'd like to come, then," Flowey decided, nodding. "I'll wait for you two at home with Frisk and Chara," Toriel said, standing up and taking the others' hands in hers.

Habriel nodded his head and watched the others walk away, then turned to Flowey. "Alright, let's go."

Habriel potted the flower once more and set off towards Asgore's castle to retrieve the remaining human souls.

They were making their way through the Waterfall, only to see Undyne beat up a couple gangsters in her shining armor.

"Whoa," Flowey muttered, observing her moves. The armor shined as she moved, and she noticed them walking along.  
"Oh, hey Habriel, what are you doing with him?" She said, rolling her eyes when mentioning the flower.

"Its complicated." Habriel said. "You know how Flowey's Asriel, right?"

"Yeah," Undyne answered, walking over to them. "What about it?"

"Well, with the soul of that hooded guy I killed a while back." Habriel said. "I'm heading to Asgore's castle to gather the other six as Frisk said that's what's needed to revive him."

"Oh, well, that's great!" Undyne grinned at the two of them. "Good luck, then, you two!"

"Just one thing." Habriel said. "You might want to look for more entrances to the Underground. This morning, I found and killed an agent of the Cathedral."

Undyne's expression turned sour. "Really? Are you kidding me?" She sighed. "Alright. Well, good luck- I'll check that out."

"I would look around Snowdin." Habriel suggested. "That seems to be where both that hooded man and his daughter first appeared."

"On it," Unydne began to walk off in the direction that Habriel suggested.

Habriel's phone went off. He pulled it out and swiped it. "Hello?" He said.

"Habriel, its Frisk." They said. "Is Chara with you? Mom and I thought they went with you because we can't find them anywhere."

"No." Habriel said. "I'll go look for them." 

"What's happening?" Flowey asked, curious about the phone call.   
"Frisk called. Says that Chara isn't home and asked for us to look for her."

"Alright..." Flowey sighed. 

"Don't worry." Habriel said. "I won't let this get in the way of our mission. We will get the other souls today." Habriel turned around, heading back to Snowdin. Unless Chara could teleport, which he sincerely doubted, they'd have to be in Snowdin. 

****************************************************************************************************

When Habriel and Flowey made it to Snowdin, all the monsters were gathering around something. Habriel joined to crowd, carrying the potted plant to look at the center. It was the human girl he had killed earlier, she turned and her eyes were red.

"Huh?" Flowey was confused, and so was Habriel. "What's going on?"

The girl rushed over to the two of them. "Habriel, it's me. Chara." the girl said. "I'm possessing the girl's body...."

"Why?" Habriel asked. Chara sighed.

"I'm tired..." Chara said. "I'm tired of living as a husk of my former self. I'm tired of just floating around. I wanna be able to taste again, to feel again. With this body, I can do that."

"Chara, you should have picked a better time to do that..." Habriel said. "Should have at least waited for everything to calm down. They probably still think you're the girl who attacked me."

"Everybody, don't be alarmed. This isn't the girl who attacked me," Habriel announced.

"It's a little complicated." He continued on. "So I'll try to make this as easy to understand as possible. The girl that attacked me is dead. She had stabbed and in response I stabbed her back. She bled to death while I healed." He held out her yellow soul. "This is proof, as well as my increase in LV. As you probably already know. Chara Dreemurr has returned and lives with me and my family. For a long time she roamed this world as a specter or a ghost. However, now she has decided to sort of possess this girl's body as she no longer has any use for it. I apologize for any confusion this might have just stirred up, as I am still rather shocked myself. I literally learned all this less than a minute ago. If you need proof that the girl is indeed Chara Dreemurr, look into the girl's eyes. They're red, not yellow."

Some of the monsters sort of nodded in understanding and walked away, while others eyed her strangely. Some looked at all of them weirdly. Habriel shrugged their looks off, glad the girl wasn't actually still alive.

Habriel turned around and approached Chara. "Good thing they understood." He grabbed her hand. "Let's get back to the ruins. You got mom and Frisk worried...."

"Sorry. I can go back on my own- you get those souls," She insisted, smiling. "Thank you for backing me up. I'm sorry if I spooked you guys."

"Let me explain this to them before you just walk back home." Habriel said. "If you walk back in there, the firs thing mom'll do is throw countless fireballs at you." He pulled out his phone and dialed Toriel's number.

"Oh yeah," Chara said as he called Toriel. He explained to their mother all the details, and she understood, so he hung up and said that she could go home now. She waved, and left. Habriel and Flowey back-tracked and continued to the castle for the souls.

They made it to the castle and explained everything to Asgore. As he was more than shocked to find out about who Flowey really is, he was more than willing to present the souls to them.

"Alright." Habriel said. Reaching out to the soul of Patience. "The moment of truth." He was about to reach out for one of the other souls, but the other five floated out of the vials on their own, and started flying away. "WHAT!?" he gasped. He started to chase after the souls which floated away faster and faster. "No!" he shouted. "No, God damn it, no!" He formed a violet bubble around them to prevent them from escaping, but they all completely vanished out of thin air. All that was left are the human souls he has in his possession. A soul of Integrity, Patience, Justice and Perseverance. He went from having ten souls to just four. Habriel dropped to his knees, holding his head in shame. "Asriel....Chara....Frisk...Mom.....I failed you......"

Flowey watched from the flower pot, devastated. "What happened...?" Asgore had also tried to get the souls, but to no avail.  
"Habriel, you are no failure," the king reassured him warmly. "I just have no idea what happened with the souls... we'll find them, don't worry."

"I'll go back to the ruins..." Habriel muttered grimly. "I'll tell them what happened." He walked out of the room with Flowey close behind. Asgore wanted to help, but the boy was already gone. He sighed as he went off to take care of the flower garden. 

Habriel and Flowey were making their way past the bridge of the Waterfall, slowly trudging their way back home. Habriel wasn't looking forward to tell everyone he had failed to revive Asriel. Suddenly, a large group of monsters of all kinds jumped down from a cliff, running towards the two. They all pulled out swords, axes, and maces. 

"I'll hold them off!" Habriel shouted as he formed a violet sword and clashed with one of them. "Get outta here! Go!" Flowey hesitated, but did as the child asked. He burrowed Underground and was on his way back to the ruins. Habriel, continuing to clash with the gang members, jumped back and was preparing to charge a magical attack until he felt something prick the back of his neck. He reached to the back of his neck and pulled out a tiny dart. The monsters smiled as his vision began to blur, he dropped to his knees and fainted. A female fish monster with blonde hair emerged from the group and pulled out some rope, smiling. 

Flowey used all his magic to propel himself through the soil faster than ever, getting to the ruins in a matter of minutes.  
"Mom!" He yelled as he reached the house. Toriel opened the door at hearing the voice. "What's wrong?" She said.  
"Mom, Habriel's in trouble! We were ambushed after leaving the castle!"  
"Children, I have to go," Toriel called in to the house. "Stay here. I'll be back later."

The mother and flower set off together rather quickly to find Habriel and the attackers. Flowey led Toriel right to the spot, but they saw nobody.


	27. Chapter 27

Habriel woke up coughing and panting as he was splashed with a bucket of water. Before he could do anything, he was hit twice with something hard. He grunted in pain as a shadowy figure held a baseball bat in their hands. "So, from what I've heard about this game..." the figure said. "You use this to hit things with right?" Habriel didn't answer. The figure hit him again. "I'll take that as a yes...."

"What do you want from me?" Habriel asked in a low voice.

The mother rushed with Flowey to the castle and banged the door. Asgore answered.  
"What is wrong, Toriel?" He asked gently.   
"Asgore, Habriel's missing. He was ambushed right after leaving here. This is an emergency," Toriel said in a stern voice.  
"Call the Underground into a state of emergency," She ordered. Asgore nodded quickly.  
"Yeah, it was a band of monsters with weapons that came at us," Flowey said hastily. "Habriel told me to get away and get help..."

"So tell me, which hurts more?" The figure said. "This?" They hit him from the left. "Or that?" They hit him from the right. Habriel was on the floor, muttering something. The figure knelt down and revealed herself to be the fish monster. "What's the matter?" She asked. "Do you have a collapsed lung? That probably hurt..." Habriel spat blood at her face. She grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the floor. "I'm still trying to figure out how to use this properly." She said, pointing the bat at him. She shrugged. "Bah, I'm sure I'll figure it out." She swung the bat over her head, downwards. Hitting him in the head.

Asgore contacted the people in Snowdin and Hotland to start searching for the boy, as he spoke to Toriel and Flowey.  
"This is deeply concerning... nobody ever just disappears in the underground..." Asgore thought out loud.

Every television started going static. Iredox now had a hacker in his gang. "Let's play hide and seek." A voice said. "Guess where this place is..." The image projected the inside of the shack, with the fish monster beating a shirtless Habriel who was chained to the wall with a bat. 

People began to report the sightings on their televisions, reaching Asgore and the others fairly fast.   
"A shack?" Flowey asked while they searched. "Where could that be? In Waterfall?"

"Have anything to say the audience?" The she monster asked after injecting the boy with Determination. 

"Screw you!" Habriel snapped. 

"That's the spirit!" She shouted after hitting him in the head with the bat.

After a long while of not hearing from their mother, Chara decided to set out to look for her, telling Frisk to stay there and not even think about leaving the house. She went into Snowdin, hearing a clamor of commotion. "What's going on? What's wrong?" She asked the salesgirl in front of her shop.   
"A boy's been kidnapped by someone," The bunny stammered. "He's being held captive by some monsters somewhere in the underground, and it's being broadcasted to our TVs!"  
"What boy?" Chara asked, then hearing snippets of passing conversation, she came to realize it was none other than Habriel.

"Come on..." the she monster said. "I've heard that these games are all for good sportsmanship."

"Kiss my ass!" Habriel spat again. The she monster pulled out a knife and held it against his throat.

"I'm trying to be nice, here..." she growled.

"Search for his soul," Chara said to herself, walking around trying to find either Habriel, or Toriel and Flowey.   
"His soul... where is he?" She looked around for a long time and eventually found her mother and brother. "Guys, have you found Habriel?" "No," Flowey said.   
"I guess you found out," Toriel remarked before they continued their search together.

"I'm gonna try to find his soul again." Chara said. "This'll take much longer since I'll be searching the entire Underground. But I think I can do it. "

"Okay, my child," Toriel said as they walked around. "We'll try to help as much as we can."

Flowey led everyone back to where he last saw Habriel. A good place for Chara to start searching. On their way over. Habriel screamed in pain as the she monster stabbed him in the leg, twisting it and stabbing him in the gut. Only to inject him with more Determination.

Alphys' monitor only showed this video feed, which appalled and terrified her. She began hacking into it immediately to send them a message of her own.  
"Everyone is searching for you, Habriel," He heard her voice loud and clear.

"But they won't find you." The she monster smiled. Habriel smiled, blood leaking out of his mouth. 

"When mom sees what you've done..." Habriel chuckled. "Oh man...."

"As far as you should be concerned, boy." The she monster said. "I'm your mommy." The veins in her eyes popped with her bloodlust. "And you're in for a big punishment!" She gave a sinister smile. She slashed him across the chest with the knife and he screamed again.

Alphys stayed on the line so Habriel could hear her voice and stay conscious.  
"Okay, Habriel, people everywhere are looking for you thanks to these people's little message," She announced.   
"Just listen to my voice, everything will be fine once we find you... can you describe your surroundings?"

The she monster hit him over the head with the handle of her knife. Knocking him unconscious. "Fraid not." She said. "He's a little tired."

"I have half a mind to blow your eardrums out right now..." Alphys said over the speaker sarcastically. "That would do some good, honestly."

"Go ahead and try." She said. "You're gonna hurt the boy, too."

Alphys huffed and sat, watching the monitor.  
Some citizens called out Habriel's name, while others stayed in their homes, fearful.   
"Could they be in Waterfall?" Flowey asked as Toriel, he, and Chara moved.

"Got good news and bad news." Chara said. "Good news is I found Habriel."

"Yes?" Toriel stopped to listen. "What's the bad news?"

"He's surrounded by countless monster souls." Chara said. "And I think its a safe bet to assume that they're not friendly..."

"Well, yes, my child, that's clear... but where are they?" She insisted.

"Waterfall." Chara said. "A fortress."

"Let's get Undyne, maybe," Flowey suggested.

"Maybe the entire Royal Guard, at least." Chara suggested. "And Kaizer's new group."

"Yes, I'll call Undyne," Toriel got out her cell phone and dialed the number, putting it up to her ear.

"Hey, your majesty!" Undyne said as she answered the phone. "What's up?"

"Please come with your best weaponry and the rest of the Royal Guard," Toriel answered. "And Kaizer and his group. We need the strongest people we can get."

"Right." Undyne said. "Don't worry, your majesty. We'll get him back even if its the last thing we do! I'll go on and knock some heads for him. Fuhuhuhu!"

"Thanks," And with that, she hung up. She told the others that they were coming to help.

Everyone heard a piercing shriek come from the TV. They turned and saw a gigantic hand in the room. Squeezing Habriel like a stress ball. Habriel screamed in agony as his bones were being crushed. Whatever was in that room, it was big.

Toriel's spine shivered. "LET'S GO," She said urgently, carrying Flowey and running with Chara.

They were following Chara as she lead them deeper and deeper down the Waterfall.

"Where is this place?" Flowey asked as they continued down to find Habriel. "This doesn't look good... or safe..."

"Its whats left of a once great city." Chara said. "You know the one I'm talking about. Mom cried when she read the news. The city that fell apart due to an earthquake. Not much is left of it now..."

"Yes," Toriel murmured as they got closer. By now, the Royal Guard, Kaizer, and his crew were also making their way towards Waterfall to assist in the fight for Toriel's son.

They were standing over the edge of a cliff and saw the massive fort. However there was an unsettling echo coming from it. Someone inside was screaming...

Still holding the flower pot, Toriel leapt down from the cliffside, landing perfectly fine down below. Chara followed suit, landing beside her. "Let's go, the guards shouldn't be that far behind," Toriel said, staring ahead.

What everyone saw was unsettling. Chara widened her eyes in shock. "There must be a mistake..." she said. "There were so many more here on our way over..." The front door of the fort slowly creaked open. As they entered, they could see dust particles float and scatter in all directions.

It was difficult for them to see with all the dust, which made them cough, and when the dust cleared, they were shocked.

The cabin at the center of the fort shattered with a violet explosion. Two monsters flew out. The she monster from the cameras and a gigantic fish monster with the four human souls sticking out of its chest. The family turned to see Habriel with countless bruises, cuts and Determination syringes sticking out of his back as he panted. 

"My my!" Seraph gasped beside him. "They really thought they could just inject you with more and more of that stuff without expecting it to backfire..."

"Be quiet!" Habriel snapped at the specter. He looked over at the two monsters getting up and sighed.

"Now's not the best time to fight me, boy." Seraph chuckled. Habriel realized he was right. It was already bad enough to fight Iredox with four souls and his friend, he didn't feel like fighting Seraph, too.

"You know what?" Habriel said. "You're right. So why don't we make a deal..."

"Oho~!" Seraph chuckled while floating around him. "What kind of deal."

"I'll let you take over my body, and you can have all the fun you want. Go crazy, on one condition..." Habriel muttered. The specter smiled as Habriel looked at Iredox and his friend with deep resentment and hatred. "Kill them..." he growled. The specter's grin grew wider.

Toriel and Chara ran inside to see this scene. Toriel gasped, especially at seeing Iredox and the damage done to Habriel's frail frame.

The specter took hold of Habriel, and it was as if there was a change in souls, as a bright beam of violet light emitted from above, shining down upon the boy. Habriel's hair grew long, just like last time with the bottom half of the hair turning black. A cloak of black feathers materialized, covering the boy's beaten, broken down body. A violet top portion of a skill materialized, covering the top half of Habriel's face. Like last time, it had a fang protruding from each end, both reaching down to the jawline. The boy's face turned from deep hatred to a gleeful grin. A grin of joy, excitement and insanity as he looked upon the monsters. This was no longer Habriel, this was Seraph. 

Toriel held an arm out in front of Chara to stop her. They both watched, staring as Seraph went to utterly destroy the monsters who beat and bloodied the boy. Toriel flinched while watching it. She hoped Seraph would stop as soon as the monsters were dead.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" The gigantic monster growled, veins popping. 

"Tell me something...." Seraph chuckled. "Have you ever met a demon? A real demon?"

"What the Hell are you talking about?" the she monster asked. "There's no such thing!"

"Really?" Seraph asked. "You might want to tell that to my friend, here...." A gigantic violet rune appeared beneath his feet as two arms the size of cabins reached out from the rune and grabbed onto the ground around it, cracking it. A gigantic, monstrous figure pulled itself up from the rune. It had the face of a human skull with the eye sockets glowing. Countless spiked stuck out from its torso, as that's all that came out from the rune. The bottom half of the body wasn't even there. It gave an unholy, loud roar to Iredox. "Meet Wrath." Seraph chuckled.

Toriel managed to hold Flowey and grab onto Chara, clutching the two of them and shaking nervously. Chara sweat. They feared Seraph and this new monster, 'Wrath.'

Iredox unleashed an array of tentacles at the demon. However it furiously grabbed each tentacle with one swipe and clenching to them hard. It yanked Iredox towards itself and punched it square in the center of the monster's body. Knocking the wind out of Iredox as he flew into another house. 

Toriel kept going to speak but hesitating.

A violet specter of a little boy about the same size as Frisk was seen sitting at the corner of a house, sobbing. The boy looked like Habriel.

"Huh?" Chara ventured over to the boy and sat beside him, feeling like it was Habriel.   
"H-Habriel?" She called quietly to him.

The boy didn't even notice. He was still hiding his face in his knees, still sobbing. Chara didn't know if she should get closer or not.

Chara quietly and cautiously sidled up closer to him and went to put a hand on his shoulder, calling out Habriel's name again.

The boy looked up and wiped the tears from his face. "Chara?" a transparent voice asked.

Meanwhile, the she monster charged towards the wrath demon with a blue ax in hand. The demon lifted her up by the feet and slammed her into the ground. She shattered and became a pile of dust.

"Scylla!" Iredox screamed. His eyes became bloodshot. "You're gonna pay for that!"

"That's what the others thought, too." Seraph chuckled.

"Habriel, is that really you?" Chara looked at the boy in disbelief. "You look completely different," She whispered, resting her hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"I do?" Habriel asked. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You look taller, yourself."

"You seem younger," She murmured, worried. 

"What do you mean?" He looked up at the girl. 

"You're just smaller in stature," The girl said. "You look like a younger version of yourself."

"I'd say you were pulling my leg...but as I said, you look taller...." Habriel said as he turned his head to watch Iredox fight the wrath demon. Habriel held his head in shame. "I'm guessing the other's are here, too. I'm sorry for making you all come here, and getting the entire Underground involved. This could have been prevented, I should have just ran away. I'm so stupid!"

"No you're not! Ugh, that stupid Seraph's always convincing you of that but it's just not true," Chara sighed, looking over at Wrath. "You were caught off guard and wanted for at least Flowey to escape and get help. That's how you're wise."

He looked up at Chara and smiled. "Thanks..." he said. "But now, I don't think I can do anything." He saw Iredox starting to win the fight against the wrath demon. There were so many tentacles strangling it, it could hardly move. "I don't know how long it'll be till I get my body back."

"Oh boy..." Flowey said, blocking his own vision with his petals. "What's going to happen?"  
Toriel continued to watch Wrath and Iredox fight, overly concerned

The tentacles strangled and broke the demon, it roared as it disappeared. 

"There!" Iredox laughed, more than satisfied. "How do you like that!?"

"Impressive...." Seraph clapped his hands. "But how will you deal with the next one?"

"WHAT!?" Iredox gasped. Another violet rune appeared beneath Seraph's feet and a disfigured figure wore what looked to be human skin sewn to its body with a gaping maw reaching all the way down from the head to the waist. An eye could be seen from within it. 

"Meet Envy." Seraph chuckled. "He's excited to meet you."

Toriel screamed, clutching Flowey's pot. She sped walked over to Chara and Habriel's soul and sat down, covering her eyes.

"What can he do?" Iredox laughed. "The other one was much bigger!" Tentacles emerged from his back and went flying towards the demon. However, black tentacles emerged from its back which looked strangely like the ones Iredox has. The black tentacles clashed with the blue and the envy demon started chuckling. 

"What do you think he can do?" Seraph giggled darkly, watching Iredox struggle against his new adversary. 

Habriel looked over and saw Toriel and Flowey hiding their eyes. "Are you okay?" He asked them.

"Y-yep, just scared," Flowey answered behind his petals.

"Yeah..." Habriel looked down at the ground. "Me too...."

"I don't understand how that even works..." Chara said watching Envy imitate Iredox's attacks.

"Well, its a demon..." Habriel said. "I don't expect anyone other than Seraph to know how it works..."

It seemed to them that this was a losing battle for Iredox, as Envy had him matched

Every attack Iredox would throw, envy would just throw back. The monster was lucky that Seraph hasn't gotten directly involved yet.

Iredox eyed Seraph angrily as he fought against the demon summoned by him. Seraph just smirked and laughed at the struggling monster.

It seemed as if there was no way Iredox could win. Even with the power of four human souls.

"Give up yet?" Seraph asked gleefully, eyeing Iredox as the monster began to lose his desperate battle.

The monster smiled as he injected himself with Determination. Something the envy demon couldn't imitate.

Envy watched Iredox do it, and seemed confused. Envy could not do it. Seraph frowned.

Iredox's eyes became blood shot as he laughed maniacally. Envy tried to attack him, but Iredox plowed through the attacks and crushed the demon with his giant fist. Seraph crossed his arms, unimpressed.

The terrified family had nothing to do but watch the battles play out one after the other at Seraph's whim.

"A coward using outside help." Seraph chuckled. 

"At least I fight my own battles." Iredox said while breaking the demon's neck. It dissipated. 

"So how'd Habriel end up here?" Seraph chuckled. The monster was not amused.

"Why should I tell you? Shouldn't you know? I've seen you with that dumb kid," Iredox retorted, snorting.

"Since I apparently have to spell it out for you..." Seraph smiled. "That was a rhetorical question."

Iredox was beginning to feel the wear and tear from the battles he fought against the first two demons. His muscles began to feel sore and he began to sweat.

"Now the real fight begins..." Seraph chuckled.

Toriel peeked out from behind her fingers to watch what would happen next. Everyone suspected another demon would be summoned.

Seraph shot out a violet beam that hit one of the human souls. He pulled the soul out and held it in his hand. "I'll take this." Seraph chuckled as Iredox screamed. The monster got smaller and less monstrous.

"He's taking the souls!" Toriel panicked out loud.

Seraph launched three more beams and extracted the rest of the human souls. He watched as Iredox reverted back to his original self. "There's a reason the other mages feared me..." Seraph said.

Toriel shifted over to her children more while watching them, intimidated.

Seraph was about to finish Iredox off. But the mage's face changed to shock and disappointment. "Lucky devil." He chuckled. "My time's up." Habriel's specter disappeared. The cloak made of black feathers as well as the skull mask disappeared. Habriel's hair turned completely white as it changed back to the way he had it. The boy collapsed to his knees with the four human souls around him. Iredox was unconscious. 

Toriel ran to him, leaving Chara and Flowey behind. She checked to see if he was alright and looked over at Iredox to make sure he was unconscious. 

"Mom..." he muttered. He was tired, beat, broken down. He had countless new scars all over his body. His back and chest. Flesh was torn open from the torture. He had a large cut across his left cheek, still bleeding. His arms and legs were broken. It was a miracle that Seraph was able to move at all.

Toriel, crying, lifted her son gingerly, wrapping some wounds in cloth and beckoning for Chara to come with her carrying Flowey. She obeyed. They ventured back into Hotland to see Alphys to patch Habriel up.

"I'm sorry to make you guys worry again." Habriel said, looking up at his mother as she carried him. "I put all your lives at risk again. Just for my own sake..."

"It wasn't your fault, you were ambushed, my child," Toriel explained as she carried him through Hotland.   
"It was Iredox's fault, of course. Don't think that it's your fault, Habriel."

"That was fun!" Seraph said, strolling along. "We should try that again sometime." He looked down at Habriel who didn't respond. "Hello?" The specter said. He took a closer look and saw that Habriel was asleep. Seraph sighed. 

"He's sleeping," Toriel whispered sternly but calmly, leaving Habriel undisturbed. "Don't bother him right now."

"Whatever." Seraph waved it off and floated on. He was just happy he could use some of his spells again. He couldn't wait till the next time he got to take over.

They made their solemn way to the lab, and Alphys caught them on her monitor before they knocked on the door, so she opened the door automatically for them so they could get inside easier.

"I-I'll get to work on him immediately." Alphys said as she had Toriel put Habriel on the operating table.

"Oof... this is terrible," Alphys mumbled, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. "Iredox really needs to stop beating the dead horse. He has no idea when to stop, clearly." Toriel nodded silently, watching the doctor work on her son.

"That's not even the worst of it." Alphys went on. "You know what he did when he got back to his people after they captured Habriel? He killed them, all of them. Just to test the power of the souls. I watched from the moniters."

Toriel pulled up a chair and sat down, listening to her. "That's just... unacceptable... none of these monsters know right from wrong..." Toriel said, shaking her head.  
"The king should do something about Iredox," Alphys suggested without looking up; she already patched up most of Habriel's cuts with gauze and bandages.

She went to sewing and applying Determination to the larger wounds. "He's the only one left." Alphys said. "A monster going completely insane. I don't think he'll ever look back and see all the damage he's caused. The dust he's made, the friends he's crippled. Is there any saving him?"

Toriel hadn't talked for a time. "I... don't quite think so," She finally responded after a few minutes.   
"It's extremely unlikely now, anyway." Chara and Flowey sat together whispering in the background.

"So, how and where's Frisk?" Alphys asked. "Are they alright, do they know what's going on?

"I called them on the way here," Toriel said. "I explained everything; they're at home. You know what? Why don't I call Sans to go watch them while we're gone?" She said out loud.

"If that's what you feel is right, go ahead." Alphys said. "I'm sure he won't mind." 

So Toriel called and Sans agreed, going over to the house in the ruins and accompanying Frisk for the time being, occupying them. 

Habriel grunted in pain as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked up at Alphys looking over him. "We've gotta stop meeting like this..." Habriel chuckled.

The doctor chuckled nervously and nodded. "Yeah," She said. "I'm sorry about this, Habriel. Don't worry- you'll be better soon," She added. "Boy- you really know how to get into trouble."

"Yeah." Habriel said, looking at Seraph. "You could say that it just follows me around..."

"Well, not even just him," Alphys said, adjusting her glasses while she stared at the specter. "Iredox can't seem to stop for anything."

"Yeah..." Habriel sighed.

"Tell me, boy." Seraph said. "Do you fear death?"

"I used to..." Habriel said. Seraph smiled.

"Your sister did..." he said. Habriel glared at the specter in response.

"Not funny." Habriel said. 

Alphys twitched a bit and ignored the form speaking to her patient. He was getting on her nerves, and it was visible. Toriel gave the doctor a telling look that said, 'just ignore Seraph.'

"Why so mad, Habriel?" Seraph asked. "You must have some witty thing to say."

"You bring it out of me..." Habriel shook his head and looked away.

"Aww..." Seraph muttered, hovering closer. "Did I hurt your feelings? Bring up some bad memories? Such a sad family history..."

"Please stop." Habriel sighed.

"What do you fear?" Seraph went on.

"Why do you want to know?" Habriel asked.

"Is it your parents?" Seraph pressed on. 

"Why would I be afraid of them?" Habriel asked.

"You hate them too much not to be." Seraph chuckled.

The doctor twitched again and gritted her teeth as she took care of Habriel. She told him through her teeth to lie on his back and she replaced old bandages and applied new ones with ointment to his injuries after checking on their condition. He already was recovering.

"What do my parents have to do with anything?" Habriel asked. "Why so interested?"

"Oh..." Seraph muttered. "You'll see..."

"What?" Habriel asked. "See what?" Seraph smiled and made a zipping motion across his lips.

Alphys at this point looked pissed off. She huffed and grumbled as she stormed around, taking care of him. She continually adjusted her glasses and didn't seem happy. "I'm tired of you talking," She said flatly, looking Seraph in the face. "So be quiet and let me do my job. Without his body, you'll have nobody to possess," She said.

Seraph only chuckled. "So you think..." the mage muttered under his breath.

Alphys continued grumbling about her business, looking at Habriel apologetically. "Not that I want that," She mumbled.

"Well, that goes without saying." Habriel said as he pointed out the fact that the doctor was healing him.

"Oh, yeah," She cracked a smile. "S-sorry," She said, sitting down beside him. 

"If anyone should be apologizing. Its me." Habriel said. "I never see you unless if I'm in danger. I'm always inconveniencing you. Which brings me to this question. Would you like to hang out sometime? You know, without having to worry about anything. Just to relax?"

"S-sure, if that's okay with Toriel," She stuttered shyly, looking to Habriel's mother. Toriel nodded and smiled approvingly. "Alright, w-well what would you like to do?" She asked.

"Whatever you want." Habriel said. "I mean, this is your house." He smiled.

"Alright, d-do you wanna watch an anime with me?" Her eyes lit up. She seemed genuinely happy.

"Sure." He smiled. "What's anime?"

Alphys was shocked. "Anime is an art form, sort of... a television show genre, also, kind of... it originated from another culture then other cultures began to adopt it. It comes in Japanese, mostly, with subtitles. Is an cartoon genre."

"Oh sorry, I didn't know." Habriel said. "My family couldn't really afford a TV."

"In short as Frisk would say." Toriel said. "Its a cartoon with swords."

"Seems like much more than that from what Alphys said." Habriel chuckled. "And of course, anime's just a style, and it has many genres like any other show. But yeah."

"Sounds interesting." Habriel said. "Like different book genres."

"Or like TV show genres. Yeah, it's just like that. There's drama, romance, action, horror, suspense, and more," Alphys smiled.

"I wonder if there are any like the book mom and I are reading?" Habriel wondered aloud.

"Aww... you two are bonding." Seraph chuckled. "Remember how you and your real mom would play hide and seek? Oh, you always had to hide. And when she found you..." he chuckled to himself.

Alphys deadpanned, staring at Seraph. "J-just stop talking," She stuttered.

"It was also pretty funny whenever your father would come home..." Seraph went on. "He just had some really good punch-lines, huh?"

"I think I have a machine somewhere to shut him up," Alphys said, rising from her chair and looking around.

"Shut me up, then." Seraph chuckled. "Like his parents did with him..." 

The yellow lizard huffed and stormed away, searching the lab for a gadget that could silence something bothering the soul.

"Doctor~!" Seraph groaned mockingly. "It hurts when I go like this!"

"Wha-?" She called down from the second floor as she rummaged through a pile of her things.

"Ignore that." Habriel said. "Seraph's trying to mess with you. Think we should call Undyne, get her to beat him up if she can."

"I don't know about that..." Seraph chuckled. "Iredox tried to beat me up, too. And we all know how that turned out."

"Let's see... no, that's a standard ray gun... no..." She searched for perhaps five minutes without success.   
"Maybe something's in the true lab I can use..."

Mettaton walked into the room everyone else was. Seraph turned and gave the most unsettling grin to the robot.

"Who is that, darlings?" Mettaton asked, staring at the snide form. 

"Its a long story." Habriel said. "He's not a friend, though."

"I can be very friendly, Habriel." Seraph chuckled. "How friendly would you like me to be? Like your priest?"

Alphys came back downstairs to Habriel and his family again.   
Mettaton stared at Seraph, unsure of how to feel. He could tell already that this guy was up to no good.

"Where's Marion?" Seraph asked. 

"Don't!" Habriel growled.

"Couldn't save her, could you?" Seraph chuckled.

"Whoever you are, I don't like what you're doing," Mettaton warned Seraph with a stern look. "So stop."

"Why so timid, super star?" Seraph asked. "Put on a show, do a good dance for us! Habriel can dance, too. Just ask the priests."

"Stop it," Mettaton spat hatefully. He knew this man was evil already. "Leave Habriel alone."

"Come out of that body and make me then, ghost." Seraph chuckled.

Mettaton snarled at Seraph, then tried to ignore him.  
"I'm going out, Alphys, hope you can handle this on your own?" Mettaton said, and she nodded.

"Aww...no autograph." Seraph mocked.

"Proud of yourself?" Habriel asked.

Toriel rolled her eyes and Alphys sat back down beside Habriel.

"Mettaton, wait!" Habriel got up and called out. The robot turned around.

"Yes? What is it?" He asked, looking at Habriel. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry for that guy's behavior." Habriel said. "Please, don't let him get to you. It'll just give him what he wants."

"Alright," The robot smiled at his words and departed.

Habriel turned around and glared at the ghost. "I don't care if you attack me and joke about my life." Habriel said as he grabbed the ghost by the cloak. "I also don't care how powerful a mage you are! If you keep going after my friends and family, you're gonna regret it!"

"You should be good to go whenever you'd like," Alphys notified Habriel that his injuries were not significant anymore, the risk of infection was past, and he could most likely get rid of the bandages in a day or so.

Habriel pushed the specter away, turned around and smiled. "Thanks Alphys." Habriel said. "But, I since Sans only just started babysitting Frisk, we have some time. So, do you wanna watch some anime?"

"Sure," She said. "The TV's over here," She showed him, pulling up some chairs.

"So what're we watching?" Habriel asked.

"I really like this show called Mew Mew Kissy Cutie!" Alphys said. "I downloaded every season!"

"Cool." Habriel said while laying back, kicking his feet up. Toriel sat next to him.

"Want a snack or something? I have bags of chips we can have while we watch," She offered while using the remote and setting up the show.

"I'll take a water." Habriel said. He turned to Toriel. "Want anything?"

"Oh, no thank you," She said. Alphys got Habriel the water and started the first episode.

"Mew Mew is.... interesting..." Habriel said for lack of a better word. He saw the character kiss countless people and control them with their mind. 

Alphys laughed. "W-well, I see that it's awkward, but you'll find that it teaches good morals," She explained.

"Okay..." Habriel said. He was about to take a sip from his water, but it was gone from his hands, he looked over to see Toriel was holding it. She needed it more than he did.

"Oh, here, why don't I get you another one," Alphys smiled and got Habriel another cup of water so Toriel could have her own.

"You alright?" Habriel asked.

"F-fine, child..." Toriel said. She was sweating. 

"Geez..." Habriel thought aloud.

"What's wrong, Toriel?" Alphys asked, coming over and offering a handkerchief which the mother took graciously.

"Nothing." Toriel chirped. "This is just an....interesting show...."

Habriel snorted.

Alphys gave the woman a confused look. "Huh?"

"It's nothing." Habriel said waving it off.

"Alright....?" Alphys eyed Toriel and Habriel strangely, sitting back down beside the boy and unpausing the show.

The story did start to show the morals it was trying to teach. Which started to calm Habriel and Toriel down. They started to enjoy it.

Alphys sat engaged with the show's characters and plot, reminiscing about it as usual while they watched.

"So what's going on, exactly?" Habriel asked, taking a sip of his water.

"So in this part, Mew Mew is trying to get her friends to all get along," Alphys explained. "But it's not working, at least so far."

"Will they?" Habriel asked. "It'd suck if they just stay divided..."

"Yes, if I remember correctly," Alphys responded, eyes glued to the screen. She smiled. "I wish real life was this way."

"The best we can do is try and make it happen ourselves." Habriel smiled. "After all, life doesn't have a meaning unless if we give one."

"Right," Alphys said, smiling at him. They watched a few episodes until it was time to go.

"Thanks, Alphys." Habriel said, getting up. "That was fun."

"Any time," She smiled. "Thank you, Alphys, for your generous hospitality" Toriel said, leading Habriel to the door with Chara and Flowey close behind. Chara was carrying the sleeping flower as they made their way out.

They made their way home through the Waterfall, making it to Snowdin.

"Sans will be able to go back home," Toriel mentioned, recalling that the skeleton was hanging out with Frisk in their home.

"Yeah, he'll probably use one of his famous shortcuts." Habriel said.

They walked all the way until they reached home. They came in, and Frisk ran and hugged them.   
"you're back," Sans said. "guess i'm done here. nice talkin' to ya, kid," He pat Frisk on the head, nodded towards Toriel, and used a shortcut to his own house.

"Are you okay?" Frisk asked Habriel, hugging him. "You really had me scared." Habriel stroked their hair while hugging them back. 

"Yeah..."

"We oughta stay home for a while," They said. "Maybe Iredox will stay away for some time."

"Hopefully..." Habriel said, petting their head.

Toriel checked Habriel's wounds again, pleased that they were healing nicely after such a horrible experience. She wondered how she could ever repay Alphys for the amount of support help she gave to them.

"It only hurts when I laugh." Habriel chuckled. He pulled out the four human souls. "You might not like what comes next. But I know where to get the rest of the souls we need."

"Where?" Frisk asked. Habriel's expression turned serious.

"On the surface, back at the Cathedral." Habriel said. "I'll bring the souls we need back from there and I'll put an end to their terrible rituals. Kill two birds with one stone...."

"And turn Flowey back to normal?" Chara asked.

"Yes." Habriel said. "It'll be hard. But I think I can do it."

"When will you go?" Frisk asked.

"Probably when I'm ready." Habriel said. "I haven't told you everything about them. I didn't want you to feel terrified that these type of people are right outside."

"What do you mean, child?" Toriel asked.

Habriel looked down at the ground. "There's a reason why I was raped." Habriel said. "There's a reason why they're involved in child trafficking. They're not selling any children. They use us as lab rats and sacrifices for their disgusting rituals so they can learn more black magic. The night I escaped and killed my priest. I wasn't just going to be raped. That night, I was gonna be a sacrifice in a ritual. That priest unlocked the shackles, and I took my opportunity. I broke Marion out and I had them chase after me so she could get away." He looked at his family. "You know the rest of the story..."

"I'm sorry... so they know black magic, too? These people get worse and worse as they are described," Toriel sighed. "You'll need lots of others to help."

"No!" Habriel snapped. "There's a reason why they attack few and far in between. They're trying to bait monsters to come up to the surface. For what reason, I don't know. Probably for more rituals. But if we attack with an army of monsters, we'll be giving them exactly what they want." Habriel shrugged. "Besides, we've already seen what just a couple of them could do. It'd be a massacre."

Toriel looked saddened. "Then who could help you? I'm not comfortable with Frisk and Chara doing this..." She muttered, trying to think up a solution.

"Seraph..." Habriel muttered, he turned to the specter. 

"What do you want?" The specter grumbled.

"I need you to teach me how to summon a demon." Habriel said. 

Habriel's mother's eyes darkened in melancholy. She didn't want him to do this. 

"Why?" Seraph asked.

"So that I don't get anyone else killed." Habriel said. 

Toriel stood by them silently and listened to their conversation. She wasn't letting Habriel alone with the specter no matter what; at least for now. As long as possible.

"Do you wish to die horribly?" Seraph asked. "There is a low success rate of taming the first demon. It could easily attack and kill you."

"You'll be there." Habriel said. "You'll show me how to do it properly."

'Habriel... I don't trust this one bit....' Toriel thought. She wanted to tell him badly. But she also wanted him to be able to make his own choices and have some freedom in his life. She just didn't want to lose him.

"You wanna be free from this curse too, right?" Habriel asked. "The sooner we get the souls, the sooner the curse is lifted. Since I don't want to lead the Underground into a suicide mission, I'll use the help I can get without putting monsters at risk."

Seraph sighed. "You know what?" the specter asked. "You're right. I do wanna be free from this curse. I'll teach you and if you get yourself killed. Well, that's one less person for me to possess."

"Teach him," Toriel commanded roughly. "Teach him so he doesn't, and you'll both be free. It's simple. Just don't forget your responsibility to him and it'll work," She finished.

"I'm sorry." Seraph growled. "But I believe you are the FORMER queen of the monsters. Thus, have no influence over them. Much less me."

"So what?" She shot back. "I'm his mother. You are going to protect Habriel or face me."

"Really?" Seraph chuckled darkly. "Face you? Last I recall. When you saw me fight someone else, you were hiding behind your children."

"I was hiding WITH them, and you summoned a demon. That's how anyone would react," She folded her arms, unamused.

"Know this." Seraph growled. "I don't need a demon to kill you. I'll teach the boy. But not for you. If it were up to me, I'd have killed all of you long ago." The specter floated away. Finished with the conversation.

Toriel bore her teeth and growled towards the specter as he flew away, which surprised her children.

"Mom?" Habriel gently grabbed onto her hand. She looked down at the boy who proceeded to hug her. "He's jealous he doesn't have someone like you who cares about him. That's probably why he wants to desperately cause us so much stress and pain. He doesn't have a family and he's jealous."

"I know, but it should be blatantly obvious that acting this way doesn't help him at all; in fact, he's inconveniencing himself even more than he would if he didn't act this way," Toriel reasoned, looking towards where the specter disappeared.

"Oh I'm not defending him." Habriel said. "Like I said. Don't let him get to you. And as you and I both know. The sooner I get the other souls. The sooner we can figure out a way to not put up with him any longer."

She sighed, calming down. 

"Let's just all go inside and get some rest." Habriel suggested. "We can all use it..."

"Alright." They went inside, trying to relax more or less. Tensions were high with Seraph and Iredox's gang since neither would leave the family alone.

Habriel went up to his room and changed into more comfortable clothes. "While I want to get up there and get the souls as soon as possible." Habriel said. "I think its a good idea to spend time to prepare for it."

"Mentally and perhaps even physically," Chara mentioned. "How well do you think you'll do against the priests like this?"

"If I'm being honest." Habriel said. "If I were to go at them right now. I'd probably be getting slaughtered...."

"True, but you'll get stronger," Chara responded. "You're already the strongest human down here."

"Not true." Habriel said. "You might not be completely human again. But you're still LV 20 and have the power to destroy thos world whenever you like." He looked up at them. "Though I'm confident that if you really wanted to, you would have done it already."

"No way. Living with you guys and Mom again and everything's relatively okay? Why would I reset or destroy this world?" She asked. 

"Like I said." Habriel started. "I trust you enough to be confident in saying that you won't. But out of everyone here. You by far are the strongest out of all of us. You have the highest attack, the highest defence, the highest LOVE. Then there's Frisk who can manipulate timelines. There's Toriel who's over a thousand years old and has mastered magic. Meanwhile I'm just a beginner. Most of what I can do doesn't come from me. It comes from Seraph."

Chara sighed and shook her head. "Yes, but we're different. It's not a fair comparison. We have abilities that normal people just don't have- without our powers, and if you didn't have Seraph, you'd still be much stronger than any of us."

"I don't think you understand just how much of his power that I borrow." Habriel said. "Without him, I wouldn't be able to do a sixth of what I can do right now. And this is just from the result of the curse. Just imagine how powerful we could be if he didn't show restraint."

The family had dinner together in the kitchen and talked more. Toriel considered having Asgore imprison Iredox and his lackeys in a castle dungeon for their misconduct, but was unsure.

"There should be a rehabilitation program while he's in there." Habriel said. "That way, if he ever gets released. He can take all that energy and put it to good use..."

"I don't think I can imagine that," Frisk said. "He's pretty scary. After what he's done to you, I don't know if there's any other fate for him."

"You could be right." Habriel said. "When it comes to situations like this. We have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

They all nodded. "How long do you plan to train with Seraph?" Chara asked.

"As long as it takes for me to get stronger." Habriel said. "MUCH stronger."

"Just... stay with us as long as you can," She said without looking at him. "It'd be hard at this point without you. Especially for Frisk, Mom, and I."

"I will..." Habriel said. "I won't forget who saved me from them. I remember all of the countless times you've all saved ny life. If that happens....I....I won't let it happen...no..." he clenched his fist. "It won't happen. It can't be a possibility. I can't let it..."

"What? Like if you don't come back?" Frisk asked in a small voice. "I don't think that will happen; you're brave and strong, and have protected us all countless times!" They said.

"These aren't some condiment drunk monsters you can just fight any day." Habriel shook his head. "These are humans who've spent years learning magic. They're strong, like us. We can't underestimate them."

"Yeah, but you were strong and not to mention clever enough to kill one of the priests already," Chara pointed out, recalling Habriel's story. "That's not a small feat. Not many people can get away from their attackers alive, let alone kill them."

"I was lucky." Habriel said. "Both times, I nearly died. Both times, they nearly had me and I made a split second decision. Both times, I had a lot of people backing me up."

"Not when you first escaped, you didn't have anyone supporting you but Marion, who was trapped elsewhere, right?" Chara made the point.

"That wasn't a fight at all..." Habriel shook his head. "I broke Marion out and got them to chase after me. There were so many of them. I barely made it to the cave. By that point, I was tired, and they found me. I crawled, bit, spat, kicked, anything I could to get them off me. They held me up, stabbed me and threw me down that hole." He pointed outside of the house with his thumb. 

The two children sighed. "Why... don't we talk about something else then?" Chara suggested.

"Thanks." Habriel muttered. He didn't say anything. But, everyone could tell he was very uncomfortable talking about the Carhedral for such a long time.

"Sorry," Frisk muttered.   
"So... what do you wanna do tomorrow?" Toriel asked the children. "Would you like to go into town and do something?"

"Sure..." Habriel said. Chara nodded her head and Frisk widened their eyes in excitement.

"We can go anywhere you all would like," Toriel stated, trying to lighten the mood from the previous subject of conversation. "Where would any of you like to go?"

"Doesn't matter." Habriel and Chara said, simultaneously. They looked at each other, then away.

"We can go to Sans and Papyrus' house!" Frisk suggested. 

Chara was about to get up to put her dishes away, until she reached into her pocket. "Oh, Habriel?" She said. He looked back up at her. "When I changed...I found this.." she pulled out an old photo and handed it to him. "The girl had it on her. Probably what she used to ask the monsters about."

Habriel raised an eyebrow and looked down at the photo. No one knew how he was gonna react. After a brief moment of silence, Habriel's hand started to shake as tears started dropping onto the photo.

"What's wrong?" Toriel asked, concerned. She got up and walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder and looked down at the photo. It was an old family photo. A tall man and a beautiful woman with long black hair, smiled at the camera with two children standing between them. The parents had their hands rested on a young girl's shoulders as she hugged a small boy with white hair from behind. They looked like a very happy family in that shot.

Toriel hugged him and offered him tissues. "I'm sorry, my child..." She wondered if they should go out now, seeing her son cry like this. "We can stay inside, if you would like," She said, trying to reassure him. She sat down next to him. "I understand how you feel."

"It's fine..." Habriel said, wiping his tears away his tears  
He hugged her back before getting up and walking over to the fireplace. He let the photo float into it and get consumed by the fire.

"What are you doing?" Frisk asked. He turned around and looked at them.

"This is my family now." Habriel said. "There's nothing left of that one."

Frisk thought he would have wanted to keep it for Aliyah, but they watched the picture get consumed by the flames. "Alright I guess..." They stared into the fire for a moment.

"We can go whenever you like." Habriel said. Hiding his feelings behind a smile. 

"Are you sure, my child?" Toriel asked. "You don't have to go anywhere if you don't want to. I can take the children to the town and come back here to stay with you," She offered.

"Its fine." Habriel insisted. "Don't let me ruin your day." He smiled again.

"You wouldn't be ruining anyone's day, Habriel, you matter too," Frisk stated. "We won't make you go anywhere you don't want to go."

"I do wanna spend time with you guys, though." Habriel said. "I'm sorry about my sudden outburst. It's just....it wasn't always bad...."

"We can stay here," Toriel said. "You mean your parents weren't always bad?" Chara asked.

"I know, surprising isn't it?" Habriel shrugged. "There was a time where we wouldn't be at each other's throats. A time where my parents smiled...."

They all settled down again around Habriel to listen to his story. 

"I remember the time my mom taught Aliyah to bake a pecan pie. She was so proud when Aliyah first did it on her own." Habriel said. "There was also a time when we would all eat dinner together like a real family. And times where we would read books together. We didn't have a TV, but we would sometimes go to one of the neighbor's house and watch a movie or two with them." He sighed as he looked down. "Yet, even then...I never heard my mom say that she loved me, or my dad say he was proud of me...."

Frisk was fascinated, as they didn't quite have a history with their real family. "What... what made things change?" They asked, afraid to open old wounds.

"My dad discovered my mom was cheating on him..." Habriel sighed.

"Oh..." They sat beside him. "Did your dad do anything about it?" They continued hesitantly.   
"You don't have to answer these if you're not comfortable with it," They added.

Shadows hid Habriel's eyes. "Yeah, he did..."

They were all silent. "Y'know, I don't really have a recollection of my family from the surface," Frisk pointed out nervously, trying to divert the topic a bit. They heard Habriel's tone and didn't want to depress him.

"I'm sorry." Habriel said. "At least I have something to look back to." He offered a hug. "But at least now, we all have each other."

"Yeah, Toriel is our mom anyway," Chara stated, and they all hugged her. "I'm really sorry, children, for everything you must have gone through..." She said.

"We have you now." Frisk said. "You brought us all together."

"You keep us together." Habriel said.

"You make us all strive to be better." Chara said. 

"And you all bring me happiness," Toriel said to them. "You make me feel worth something."

They enjoyed the brief hug and all smiled. Feeling better. "Now, let's head out and have a good time." Habriel said.

Frisk cheered and they woke up Flowey before leaving the house, putting out the fire before leaving.


	28. Chapter 28

They hadn't realized it. But was the perfect time to head out as there was a festival scheduled for that night. Habriel and the family went over to a TV placed right outside the town, showing MTT news.

"The reports just came in!" The robot gasped. "Undyne and the Royal Guard have just apprehended the famed criminal Iredox. Who will be taken into custody of King Asgore and will be presented a fair trial!"

"What?! Really?!" Toriel gasped. Frisk and Chara cheered. "That's great! They got him!"

"They actually did it..." Habriel started crying tears of joy.

"And there's going to be a festival tonight!" Chara exclaimed, listening to the robot's voice. "Awesome!"

"We knew they were gonna announce it." a familiar voice said. They turned and saw Halustreg standing behind them. "The camera's were still rolling and we got to see Undyne do it with the Royal Guard alongside a bunch of other monsters. The official reports were just released to the news." He scratched the back of his head. "Meaning that they just finished the paper work." The monster took off his mask, revealing a genuine smile. "Its good to see ya alright, scum!"

"What? Really?" Habriel asked, puzzled and surprised by the pleasant comment and tone of the underwhelming adversary. 

"Of course!" Halustreg said. "You're my rival and the reason why I dedicate myself to training to get stronger. You're no use to me dead!"

"Aww, you do care!" Habriel laughed. 

"Shut up!" The goat monster blushed.

Frisk and Chara looked at each other, then to Habriel, and snickered innocently at Halustreg's expression. Toriel wanted to do so as well, but held it in and knew better.

Habriel put on a devilish smile as he saw Toriel struggle to hold it in. "What's the matter?" Habriel asked. "Did I get your..."

"Don't finish that thought, scum!" Halustreg growled.

"Goat?" Habriel snickered.

Toriel hid her face, snickering audibly. "H-Habriel, really?" She laughed between her fingers from her son's pun. Halustreg definitely didn't appreciate the boy's play on words, especially in this interaction.  
"Don't worry, Halustreg, we're keeping your 'adversary' healthy and fit for you," She chuckled.

Halustreg just muttered something no one could make out. Habriel took it a step further. "What's the matter?" Habriel asked. "Cat goat your tongue?"

The goat warrior clenched his fists and grimaced from the second pun. This boy was just too much.

Toriel couldn't hold it at all. She clenched her stomach in tears, snorting.

"Enough!" Halustreg yelled angrily, which surprised the family. "I'm tired of your puns, scum!" He announced aloud.

"Alright, alright." Habriel chuckled, easing the tension. "I'll quit it."

"Thanks..." Halustreg sighed, hiding his face in the palm of his hand. 

"Let's not get things too heate-oh crap..." Habriel caught himself. He almost made another pun by accident. Halustreg groaned. 

"Alright, well enjoy the festival, scum." Halustreg turned around. "And if you don't sign up for the fighting tournament, I'll kill you."

"There's a tournament?" Habriel asked.

"Yeah, its scheduled to be the last thing we do tonight." Halustreg said. "Fighters from all over the Underground are coming to sign up, including me. Which is why I would be steaming mad if you didn't sign up..."

"Ooooh! I wanna sign up!" Frisk cheered and did a silly little dance, jumping up and down in anticipation. "Sign me up!"

"Count me in." Chara said, smiling. "I'm actually curious to see how I'd do in this body."

"And I will sign up." Habriel said. "All just for you." He bowed to the goat ninja.

Toriel seemed concerned over Frisk and Chara, but was okay with Habriel joining in. He was old enough, and definitely skilled.  
"Really?" Halustreg seemed confused. "Oh. That was easy."

"Yeah, to be honest. I can actually take advantage of that, right now." Habriel said. "I need the training."

"What about you, Flowey?" Frisk asked.

"Meh, I'm not feeling it," the flower responded. "I've wanted to stop fighting people and that can include this competition. Count me out. I'll watch you guys, though," He noted.

"Alright, well we got a while until its time for the tournament." Habriel said. "Let's see what else they got..." the family made their way in and both Frisk and Toriel got very excited. They saw Sans on a stage doing a stand-up routine.

They all ran up into the crowd to listen to his routine. They caught Sans saying,  
"yeah, well i told him: fighting grillby is like fighting fire with fire."

 

Toriel was already giggling and Habriel chuckled quietly. Frisk and Chara sat down. Waiting for the next one.

Sans noticed them as they settled down in the audience and winked at them.  
"so two fishermen are out in the ocean on their boat and it suddenly springs a leak. one freaks, and asks the other why he's not panicking. the other says, 'i don't sea the problem.'"

Chara hid a chuckle and Frisk giggled to themselves. Habriel smiled, as he heard that one before. Toriel snorted quietly.

Sans allowed the audience to chuckle a bit before continuing into his next jokes. He smiled his usual smile.  
"one time, a guy berated me because i didn't know what "armageddon" meant. said to him, 'so what if i don't know what 'armageddon' means? it's not the end of the world!'"

Habriel and Toriel both laughed at that one. It was pretty good. Chara rolled her eyes and Frisk giggled again. Sans gave a light chuckle. "so i was actually trying to test my luck with the ladies the other day. there's this one monster i gave her a little smile and a nod and i actually got some signals. so I walked up to her and asked 'do you wanna date?'" Sans proceeded to pull out a piece of dried fruit and waved it around for the audience to see. 

They all laughed heartily at the fruit joke. "He's amazing," Frisk said to their siblings, wiping away a tear.

"and now's time for the specialty." Sans announced. "this is the part where i ask if any member in the audience wants to get involved. they come up here and crack a few jokes themselves." He looked around the audience. "so...any takers?"

"Hmm..." Frisk tried to think of one really hard. Chara looked around the crowd to see if there was anyone willing to tell a joke. Toriel waited.

"how 'bout you, tori?" Sans said, extending his hand. "i know you got a few good ones..."

"Oh, Sans," Toriel chuckled, blushing and shying away. "I'm not sure I can think of one at the moment."

"Come one, mom..." Habriel insisted. "Whadya got to lose?" Frisk tried pulling Toriel's arm in order to get he woman to stand up. Their feet kept sliding across the ground. 

"U-um okay, children," She stood, patting Frisk on the head. "I'll try."  
She strode over and climbed the stairs, standing up beside Sans.   
'Okay... think...' 

"you know tori, there's just this one burning question i have running in my head..." he said. 

"Oh, yes, Sans?" She responded, looking at the grinning skeleton.

"what horse never comes out during the day?" Sans asked. Toriel smiled, she knew this one. 

"A night mare, silly." she giggled. 

Frisk and Chara laughed a bit at that one.   
"Oh, Sans," She chuckled. 

"so i heard you tried to catch a fog earlier." Sans said.

"yeah, i mist." Toriel giggled.

"Hey, Sans, what happens to a tree when you embarrass it?" She asked, smirking.  
"What, tori?" He asked, amused.  
"It turns into redwood!"

Everyone laughed loudly. "You know, Sans..." Toriel sighed. "Sometimes I miss my ex-husband."

"really?" Sans asked.

"But my aim is getting better!" She chirped.

The crowd hooted and hollered with laughter. "thanks tori," Sans thanked her and the crowd applauded. She exited the stage and rejoined her children in the seating. "anyone else up to tell some jokes?"

"you know what, hey tori. Just one more question..." Sans said. The goat woman turned around. "as you can tell, i've had no luck so far with this joke..." he scratched the back of his head, chuckling to himself. "but do you wanna?" he pulled out the bag with the dried fruit again. 

She chuckled. "Wait, really?" She asked. He nodded, blushing a little bit.  
"Alright, sure, Sans," She smiled.

"heh..." he scratched the back of his head as the audience cheered for them in excitement. 

"Wow..." Habriel chuckled. "He's got guts, I'll give him that..."

"Wait, so they're actually going to go on a date?" Frisk asked, sitting beside Chara and Habriel.  
"Whoa. Who knew?" Flowey said.

"Wow..." Chara muttered. Everyone watched as Toriel returned to her children, slightly blushing.

"Looks like someone's giving Frisk a run for their money." Habriel chuckled.

"Huh? What do you mean?" She asked Habriel, not understanding.

Toriel suddenly remembered a time during one of their dinners together when Habriel first started learning magic. "Oh!" she gasped and started snickering. "Now I remember that night..." She began to describe the night as she remembered it. 

*************************************************************************************************************

"I'm honestly surprised you let me call you mom on such short notice.." Habriel said. 

"Oh fear not, child." Toriel said. "I'm used to it, now. In fact, let me tell you about the time when I first gave Frisk their phone."

"Oh no..." Frisk cringed with their fork in their hand.

"Not two minutes after I left, they called me mom over the phone." Toriel giggled. "And then they decided to be a little ladies man on the next call..."

"They didn't!" Habriel choked on his food. 

"Mooom!" Frisk groaned.

"Oh did you think I forgot young child?" Toriel smirked. "I embarrassed you once and I can do it again!"  
****************************************************************  
Its been a long time since that night. But Toriel remembered clearly when she was reminded of it.

"They decided to call me up and I guess practice... flirting?" She giggled as Frisk groaned even more.  
"Come on, Mom!"

"Better watch out, Frisk." Habriel teased. "Sans might beat you to it." Frisk hid their face inside of their shirt. Groaning out of embarrassment.

"He's not beating me to anything!" They groaned through their shirt at him. "They can date! Good for them! I hope they're happy!" Chara snickered.

Habriel laughed in response. "Aww.. I'm only teasing." He said as he hugged them. They pouted in response. "Come on, give your big brother a hug...please?" They looked up and saw he put on a look a sad puppy would give.

They grunted and hugged him begrudgingly. Toriel and Chara chuckled.  
"Wait... 'ladies man?' What gender are you, Frisk?" Flowey asked before he was interrupted. Sans announced the end of his segment.

"Oh, I'm both." Frisk said. 

"Ladies man is just a saying." Habriel said. "Kind of like a nickname, a quip or a joke. There's no gender neutral version of that one. So, mom probably just used the normal one."

"Yeah." Frisk said. "I'm what's called a herma...herma..." Frisk struggled to remember the word.

"Hermaphrodite?" Habriel asked.

"Yeah, that's it!" Frisk said.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know," Flowey said quickly. "When's that fighting competition going to start? You two said you were going to participate."

"Halustreg said that was the last thing scheduled tonight." Habriel said. "We can probably find a schedule with the times, or we can ask someone."

Toriel had gotten up and talked with another monster for a bit, returning with a paper listing the events.  
"Here's the festival's order of events," She said as she sat back down with her children.   
"The fighting competition is last. Next, there's a hot dog eating contest, then potato sack races..."

"And after that..." she said. "A card game competition." 

"What card game?" Habriel asked. 

"Something to do with trading cards." Toriel said. "It does however, involve characters in that book we're reading." 

"Maybe you should participate, then, Habriel," Chara pointed out. "Sounds fun."  
"We'll just have to wait a while, then," Habriel responded, looking again at the schedule.

"Look!" Frisk said. "Napstablook is setting up a snail race course right after this!"

"Looks like Mettaton's gonna have a mini concert before the tournament." Habriel said. 

"Oh my," Toriel chuckled, shaking her head at the prospects of a mini live concert for the robot.  
"This will be a large production, then," She sighed. "Do you want to watch it or do something else while we wait?" She asked the kids.

"Doesn't matter." Habriel shrugged. Chara nodded in agreement. 

"Let's go to the races!" Frisk said.

Toriel laughed and followed them. They were eager to see which snail would win this time; Frisk hadn't seen a snail race in forever.

"Oh...h-hey guys..." Napstablook said to the family. "Its uh...been a while..."

"Hey, Napstablook! I can't wait to watch this snail race!" Frisk said enthusiastically, smiling as they greeted the pale ghost. "Oh, yeah! Habriel's never seen one before."

"Snail race?" Habriel asked. "Strange to choose them out of all animals..."

"There are many snails down here, a surplus," Chara reminded him. "He just came up with an awesome sort of sport for 'em. It's entertaining." Napstablook smiled.   
"T-thank you," He said.

"Oh okay." Habriel said. "Never thought of it that way."

"I-it'll start in a moment," Napstablook said, hurrying along and getting each snail on the track area he set up previously for the festival event.  
They all saw Halustreg come over to look at the snails. 

He leaned over a fence watching the snails get ready. "Looks like mom's not the only one with a snail fascination." Habriel said. 

Halustreg caught their eyes. "Wrong, scum! I have pledged to win in every event in which you participate!" He announced across the fence. Napstablook looked from the goat warrior to the family and began to sweat.

"Oh, I was just planning to watch..." Habriel said.

"Why, scared I'll win?" Halustreg asked.

"You know I wasn't born yesterday, right?" Habriel rolled his eyes. "I'm still just gonna watch."

Halustreg huffed and puffed out his chest in indignation at Habriel's statement and continued to watch until the race began. Someone handed Napstablook a megaphone, since he was so quiet.  
"Alright, everyone, w-welcome to the grand snail race," He announced, smiling a bit.

"Now we'll be taking any volunteers for this race." The ghost said. "Any takers?"

"I'll join!" Frisk said happily.

"G-good." Napstablook said. "Anyone else?"

"Sure," Chara joined, walking over next to Frisk behind their snail. "Alright, we still have a few more slots for other opponents," Napstablook announced to the crowd that gathered to watch. "Anyone else like to join?"  
Halustreg decided against participating since his nemesis was not going to do so either.

"I'll give it a try." A voice said. Everyone turned and saw Monster Kid approaching. 

"Hey!" Frisk greeted the monster excitedly. Monster Kid ran up next to them and smiled.  
"Hey, Frisk!"

"Yo, its been a while!" Kid exclaimed. "How ya been?" He gave a wide grin.

"Pretty good," They answered, excited to see Kid again. "How have you been? It's been a while, hasn't it?" They said.

"Yeah, everything's been great!" Kid said. "Ever since I stood up to Undyne, I've been the coolest kid in this town."

"That's great!" Frisk said. Napstablook announced that these three would be the ones competing in the snail race; each got a snail and the rest of them were removed from the track.

A menu appeared in front of all three of them. It said 'Press Z to encourage'.

"Go!" Napstablook yelled, and the race was on. Because of a previous time, Frisk paced themself as they encouraged their snail, trying not to hurt it but maintain a good pace. Chara did the same. Monster Kid encouraged his snail wildly, overloading it.

Out of nowhere, the snail that monster kid was encouraging exploded. The the racers stared blankly at the spectacular scene. Habriel's jaw dropped along with Toriel. 

Frisk and Chara flinched when it happened. Monster Kid's expression drooped.   
"You just encouraged him too much," Napstablook said with a sad tone and face. "I'm sorry. You're out of the race."

The little monster had no idea what to say. He held his head down and slowly walked away.

"Aww..." Napstablook wore a sullen expression as the kid walked away from the tournament.   
"Kid, wait, it's okay!" Frisk called to him. "I did that the first time I did the snail race, too!"

"Is it okay if I stay and watch?" The kid asked.

"Yeah!" Frisk answered, focusing back on the race. "Of course," Chara said, gesturing for him to return by their side. Napstablook nodded, smiling.

The kid smiled and cheered Frisk on. 

"Let's hope Frisk doesn't explode..." Habriel said. 

Frisk kept their pace well but Chara's snail was gaining ground. Frisk increased the amount of cheers they yelled to their snail, which began to sweat and speed up. It was neck-and-neck, and Frisk's snail won.  
"We have a winner!" Napstablook announced through the megaphone, and gave Frisk their prize. 

"Way to go, Frisk." Habriel said as he approached them. He looked at Chara and Kid. "I think you all did great out there."

"Don't worry, Monster Kid," Napstablook tried to reassure the monster. "If you feel like practicing, you can come by my snail farm sometime."

"Thanks." Monster Kid said. "I'll come by sometime." The family moved on, heading over to the hot dog eating competition. Kid went alongside them. 

They sat down on the wooden benches set up before the competition table. The contestants arrived one by one; Undyne proudly waltzed up to one of the chairs on one side of the table. Alphys was off to the side cheering for her. Sans walked on next to her and sat down casually. Then Halustreg arrived and sat in the third seat.

"Sans and Undyne?" Habriel thought aloud. "Now this is gonna be intresting..."

Halustreg laughed loudly and pounded the table with his fists, ready for the competition to start. A very exhausted Burgerpants brought out the plates of hot dogs for each person.

"It's kind of funny." Habriel muttered. "I thought he only wanted to compete with me..."

"This isn't for the reason you think, scum," Halustreg laughed heartily. "This is to bolster my strength for when we compete in the fighting competition!" 

"You'll get full and you'll go through a crash..." Habriel chuckled. "But hey, you do you."

"I will!" Halustreg announced. Undyne and Sans stared at the two, dumbfounded. They had never met the goat monster. 

"Hey, who's this weirdo?" Undyne whispered, leaning over to Sans. Sans shrugged in response.  
"Alright, darlings! Are you ready to begin?" Mettaton asked them over a microphone.

"One special rule, per request by a special guest who will soon be introduced." Mettaton giggled. "The losers are not only disqualified, but will also have to eat a bowl of spaghetti, mage by none other than..." The skeleton barged out from behind the curtains.

"ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" the skeleton announced proudly. "I DO HOPE YOU ALL LOSE SO YOU CAN TRY MY COOKING!"

Habriel chuckled from the benches. 

Toriel and the other children chuckled as well. "So, my darlings, you may start... NOW~!" Mettaton yelled.  
Immediately, Undyne and Halustreg began stuffing their faces with hot dogs as fast as they could muster. As comic relief, Sans laid a napkin on his lap and squirted mustard on his first dog, eating it at his leisure. Monsters in the crowd began to laugh.

While Undyne and Halustreg glared at each other, filling their mouths with hot dogs, Sans started balancing the others on the top of his head. 

Frisk and Chara were practically crying while watching him, they were laughing so hard. Flowey chuckled watching him, too. Through a mouthful of hot dogs, Halustreg managed to say towards Sans, "Come on and challenge us!" 

"alright...." Sans said. "weiner takes all...."

"Wait, how can he do that... He's a skeleton," Habriel murmured to the others beside him. Sans winked at the crowd. He stuffed the hot dogs into his rib cage at light speed.

Every hot dog quickly disappeared, Sans dabbed his chin with the napkin, leaned back and smiled at Undyne and Halustreg. 

Both monsters stared at him in awe and disbelief before speeding up in their hot pursuit of second place. Frisk and Chara cheered for Sans and his quick victory.

"Small guy, big appetite." Habriel chuckled. 

"He didn't really eat them," Toriel whispered, leaning over to Habriel. "He just put them in his jacket," She snickered, watching the small skeleton sit and watch the other contestants struggle against each other. Papyrus's face brightened.   
"LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE'S GOING TO TRY THIS SPAGHETTI," The tall skeleton announced triumphantly.

Habriel chuckled quietly to himself. Enjoying the fact that Halustreg was gonna have to eat Papyrus' spaghetti, all thanks to Toriel's new boyfriend. 

"Time is ticking! You have ten seconds, darlings!" Mettaton announced gleefully, making Undyne and Halustreg panic and hurry themselves up. All the monsters counted down the seconds together loudly.   
"Time's up! Let's see how you did!" Mettaton said, strolling over to the table. His eyes widened, seeing that Sans was the only one who finished all his dogs.

"Well well...." Mettaton said. "Welly well welly well well. It seems you both get to have some spaghetti, I hope you're ready..." 

"NYEHEHE!" Papyrus laughed, slamming the bowls in front of them. "I HOPE YOU BOTH ENJOY! I MADE IT WITH AN EXTRA SPECIAL SECRET INGREDIENT...."

"Being?" Halustreg asked. 

"MORE NOODLES AND LOVE!" Papyrus said.

"You eat first," Undyne ordered Halustreg. He shook his head. "No, you," He responded. Sans chuckled.

Habriel got up. "Hey Halustreg!" he called out. "They say carb-loading helps!"

"Shut up!" Halustreg blushed. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." Habriel smiled. "Was that joke in...."

"oh god, he's gonna do it!" Sans chuckled. 

"Don't..." Halustreg growled. 

"...poor taste?" Habriel asked. 

Halustreg pounded the table with his fists again, and this time, the table collapsed out from under him, sending him, the hot dog plates, and the spaghetti to the ground. Mettaton leaped backwards quickly, saying "Oh my!"

Habriel ran off before the monster could do anything.

Toriel told the children to stay there as she looked for Habriel. They agreed. Undyne and Alphys retreated together towards Frisk, Chara, and Flowey, slightly intimidated by Halustreg, who was still over at the collapsed table.   
Mettaton was backing away from the goat warrior, chuckling nervously. "Darling, that's no way to handle things..." He muttered.

Habriel ended up at Grillby's. He leaned his back against the wall outside, chuckling to himself.

Toriel finally found and caught up with him, huffing. "My child, I don't think this was necessary," She breathed and they both chuckled. "Though he does overreact."  
Halustreg brushed himself off and Undyne helped pick up the debris from the shattered plates and the table splinters.

"Better to be safe than sorry." Habriel shrugged, smiling at her.

"Let's head back before the next event starts," She said, putting an arm around him as they headed back towards the festivities.  
Meanwhile, a bunch of monsters were avoiding Halustreg.

They caught up with the rest of the family. They were on their way to the potato sack race.

"Ugh. Wish I didn't have to sit all of these out," Flowey muttered, watching some monsters slipping into potato sacks. "I'm going," Chara told them, and joined the other participants in a row, getting on her own sack.  
Habriel and Toriel arrived in time to see them all lined up ready for the race to commence.

Frisk sat down with Habriel and Toriel. Watching as Chara slipped into a potato sack. Getting ready for the race.

She gave them a thumbs up before the race began.   
"Alright, everybody! Ready? Set? GO!" Undyne yelled, and the assortment of monsters and human started leaping forward clumsily yet enthusiastically in their sacks.

Everyone encouraged Chara as she soon got ahead of every monster. The others could never keep up. The human was young and had a lot more energy than them.

She was cheering as she hopped ahead of the rest, until she stumbled and fell.   
"Nooo!" Frisk yelled, watching her fall. She quickly got to her feet again, staying in the lead.

Chara managed to cross the finish line and get first place. The family got up and all cheered for her.

She sat on the ground and pulled the sack off her legs, handing it in. The monsters behind her all eventually crossed the finish line as well. She was congratulated by many people. Chara went back to her family.  
"That was pretty fun," She said.

"Now onto the card game." Habriel got excited.

Toriel pulled out the itinerary. "Where's that being held?" She looked down the list of events.

"Inside Grillby's." Habriel said, pointing out the map. "Any of you gonna play, too?"

Chara raised her hand. "Sure, let's do it."  
"I'm not going to repeat what I did last time," Frisk laughed.  
"I'll watch, children," Toriel said.

"Thought you could run, scum?" Halustreg said from behind. "I'll learn this card game and finally defeat you!"

"Whatever floats your goat." Habriel said. 

The goat monster looked as if his veins would burst on sight, but he calmed down and they went inside the establishment to play the card game. The family and others followed them inside.

On their way over, a journal fell out of Chara's pocket. She opened it and started reading it. It belonged to the girl. What was in the journal was fascinating. She decided she was gonna read it instead of playing.

She sat with her family reading rather than joined the players for the card game.   
"I found this in the girl's pocket," She said to her mother. "I've been reading it. It's weird..."

"What do you mean?" Toriel asked. They read the journal together.

'Entry 1: Father has come up with a decent plan to kill the boy and take his soul. He's gonna try to demonize him around the monsters. It's a better plan than he thinks. It makes them do our dirty work while we earn their trust. Making the first step MUCH easier.'

"First step of what?" Toriel asked out loud, reading in the pages more.  
"This sounds bad," Chara whispered, trying to keep from getting the other monsters' attention. "Whatever they were planning... we have to be careful... they may still be trying that plan..."

'Entry 2: Its been a while. Father failed to retrieve the soul and attain the trust of the monsters. A shame, but not over all damning. We just have to anger them enough to march out to the surface. It'll be more difficult and we won't be able to gather as many of them due to possible carnage than if they were to trust us. However, we can still find ways around that problem. Perhaps we can force-breed some of them so we have more souls. Father will return later to retrieve the soul at least. We can then put the boy to good use, then.'

"But what use were they talking about...?" Chara murmured, turning the page to the next entry the girl had written. She and Toriel continued to read it.

'Entry 3: Father's dead, I'm sure. I have a couple plans. When I go down there. I'll find the boy and pretend to not know be in over my head. It'll make him feel guilty and lower his guard. Giving me an opportunity. But before that, I managed to track down his lover. I'll send her in to kill him. I'll send her through where the barrier was. Should she fail, then its back to my original plan. So far, we'll see if the girl is willing to cooperate or not. For her sake, she better.'

The card game was about half way through. Frisk was watching, aware that the others were reading the journal. They just didn't want to think about it now.   
"So... they were going to send... Marion in after him?" Chara looked at Toriel, who nodded slowly.

'Entry 4: Dumb bitch got herself killed. Back to the first plan. That boy has to be in the company of numerous monsters. Perhaps I can do a ritual while I'm down there. Make the boy one of those things I've seen back at the Cathedral. He should prove useful after all. He did manage to kill my father. That is no small feat.'

The card game was coming to a close. Frisk watched; Halustreg was obviously doing extremely poorly, even while he was repeatedly told the directions of the game. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the rules and constantly broke them or made bad decisions.

"That's it." Chara said. "Mom? What do you think of all this? Should we show Habriel?"

"Mmm... I'm worried how he'll receive this... especially about how they tried to use Marion... but he should definitely know."

"I'll leave it up to you." Chara said as she handed the journal over to Toriel. Habriel had just beaten Halustreg in the card game. The goat monster was red with fury and steam seemed to have come out of his ears. Habriel smiled and offered a hand for the monster to shake. Toriel sat there, with the journal in her hands. What decision will she make?

Toriel sat with the journal for a moment, studying the pages. She looked back up to Habriel.  
"He has every right to know what they had planned for him behind his back," She decided, and stood up as Habriel shook Halustreg's begrudging hand.  
"Habriel, Chara found something that you should probably see," She said.

"Really?" Habriel asked as he got up. "What is it?"

She held out the journal for him to take and look at.  
"Chara found it in the girl's pocket. It's a journal she kept while she was alive."

Habriel widened his eyes and looked down at the journal after Toriel handed it to him. He stood there, reading the journal. Toriel couldn't see his eyes, the shadows were hiding them. However, after a few minutes. She saw the hand holding the journal begin to shake.

"They were going to use Marion, but she refused..." Chara stated quietly as he read the pages.

Habriel took a deep breath as he closed the journal. "I knew I could count on her. There's no way she would have let anyone use her." He looked down at the ring. "She really did love me..."

"But... they've clearly been preparing to do something involving you, special," Chara groaned.   
"We better be careful and keep a keen eye on both entrances to the underground. We're not done with those idiots yet."

"Yeah..." Habriel said, closing the journal and putting it in his pocket.

"Heh, maybe we can spring Halustreg on them," Frisk suggested, chuckling a little.  
"Nah, he's too weak. It'd take many more years of training for him to be on your, level, Habriel."

Habriel nodded his head. "Now's time for Mettaton's concert.

"Mmm... I don't know if I feel like watching that," Chara laughed. "We've seen enough of him otherwise, honestly. What do you all wanna do?" She asked.  
"Whatever you guys want is fine," Frisk answered.

"Oh, really darling?" A metallic voice called from behind. "And here I had something special planned."

"Really?" Habriel asked. "What was it."

"I had a TV set up in Iredox's cell to show the concert." Mettaton said. "And I was gonna put you on stage, after you write whatever you want about him."

"Really~?" Habriel gave a devilish smile.

"Weelll, we don't want him breaking out of his cell and uh... coming after him again," Toriel stated quickly, getting Mettaton's attention and understanding.

"He'll try to break out no matter what we do." Habriel said. "I might as well have a bit of fun."

"Have something in mind?" Mettaton asked.

"A poem to be specific." Habriel chuckled darkly. "I already have the message."

"You really are a vulgarian, aren't you?" Seraph asked from behind. "I love it."

"Alright, darling, you can do this whenever you like! The show's about to start," Mettaton stated, leading Habriel onto a makeshift stage out in the open surrounded by cameras. He handed the boy a microphone, making sure it worked.

The rest of the family sat in the bleachers and saw Habriel get on stage. Sans walked up to Toriel and sat next to her.

"sup, tori." He said.

"Greetings, Sans." She smiled as they started holding hands. They looked over at Habriel who was given a microphone.

"Hey everyone!" Habriel said as the monsters cheered for him. "I know you were all expects Mettaton to host his concert tonight. You'll get that, don't worry." He waved a hand as an attempt to ease any possible tension. "But he wanted to give me some time on the stage. I'm pretty sure you all know who I am." He turned towards the audience and started whispering into the microphone. "With what's happened yesterday, how can you not know?" A couple monsters chuckled in response. "Now I wanna take the time to thank someone for making this all possible. Because if he wasn't such a deplorable being. This wouldn't have happened." Habriel looked up at the cameras. "I wanna thank you, Iredox! I know you're watching this as I speak. I can smell you from here..."

Toriel feared that Iredox would spiral into an uncontrollable rampage, escape, and kill them all. Frisk, Chara, and Flowey remained by her side throughout all the events that night, including this. They all watched, feeling the same way without telling one another.

"But you know what, Iredox?" Habriel said. "I think we had a bit of a rocky start. I think we should get to know each other a little better. So, from the bottom of my heart. I have this poem in my head, that I wanna share with you. It's not the best poem. But if you pay attention, I think you'll get the message." Habriel cleared his throat as he started reciting the poem.

"Gotta be careful in the Underground.  
Ongoing danger all around.

Forging friendships and rivalries, all underfoot.  
Understand, this is all due to my neglect.  
Cute and cuddly monsters that are just misunderstood.  
Killing them would just make you lose all my respect.

You think you got this in the bag?  
Only because of all your years of training.  
Understand, I've been training with Undyne, but I shouldn't brag.  
Really, all this time, you've only been entertaining.  
So confident, with this annoying need to nag.  
Everywhere you go, I hear people complaining.  
Little do you know, this is all a drag.  
For the last time, I'll be the one remaining." Habriel waved at the crowd. "Enjoy Mettaton's show everyone!" He said as he put down the microphone.

The crowd applauded Habriel's cold poetry loudly; they all remembered what Iredox had done to him.


	29. Chapter 29

"heh..." Sans chuckled quietly. "i see what the kid did."

"What? I thought it was obvious?" Flowey asked. "Was there something that I didn't get?"  
He had a confused expression.

"what do you think it was?" Sans asked, smiling.

"I thought Habriel was saying that Iredox would never beat him and that perhaps he'd use Seraph's powers on him?" Flowey explained, looking at the smiling skeleton thoughtfully.

Sans chuckled as he wrote down the poem. "there's another message in it." He said as he handed it to Flowey. The flower read it again and gasped. Then they both chuckled quietly.

"What?" Toriel asked, moving over to peer down at the paper. She gasped and began chuckling with them. Chara understood too. "What is it?" Frisk asked. "I wanna see too. What's the secret message?"

"little too young for that, kiddo." Sans shrugged. "sorry."

Frisk pouted and folded their arms. "Fine then. You'll tell me in maybe a year or two, anyway."  
Sans and Chara laughed. "Don't worry, Frisk, we will," Flowey nodded, red in the face from laughing so hard.

"You actually did it!" A voice said from not too far away. It was Seraph floating by Habriel, they were both smiling. Not at each other's throats for once. "Kid, you really just earned a lot of respect from me! That was funny!"

"Glad everyone liked it." Habriel smiled towards him as they approached the family.

He found little Frisk sitting a bit away from the laughing crowd, pouting with their body closed off.  
"What's the matter?" Habriel asked as he approached them.  
"Nobody's telling me the secret," They stated grumpily.

"Well, it is a little vulgar." Habriel said, placing a hand on their shoulder. "I'm guessing you figured it out, Sans?"

"yup..." the smiling skeleton nodded.

"So did we," Flowey said, gesturing to himself and Chara, who was still snickering.  
"You're a genius, dude!" She cheered.

"Thanks." Habriel said. "Although, I'm afraid its gone to waste. I doubt Iredox would ever figure it out." He shrugged. "Still fun to make, though."

"Oh, darling, that must have felt good to get off of your chest," Mettaton winked at him, smiling, then went up on the stage and received the microphone so he could begin his performance for the crowd.  
"My child, I admit that that was clever," Toriel chuckled.

"Thanks." Habriel winked. "Unfortunately the guy its being sent to has it all here," Habriel said, pointing to his arms. "instead of here." He pointed to his head.

This made his mother laugh even more. "All brawn," She said.   
The group sat and listened to Mettaton sing a few songs before the concert ended and the next event was going to start on the list.

"Alright...." Habriel, rubbing his hands together. "Now, for the tournament..." Theyn walked closer and saw an important notice right outside.

'All participants must come in teams of two.' The notice said. 'Every match will be a 2 v 2.'

"Oh! Habriel, can I be on your team?!" Frisk cheered, jumping up and down at the sight of the post.   
"We can fight together!"

"I'm sorry." A monster host said. "But this rule was made specifically because this boy was participating. We already know how you're bound to a specter."

"And I guess you already know that I borrow the specter's power." Habriel said. The monster nodded his head. "So, if I'm gonna be in this tournament, Seraph and I will have to work together."

"Aww... then who could I fight with by my side?" Frisk asked glumly after hearing that they wouldn't be able to fight by their brother. "This stinks."  
"We have plenty of other participants," The monster said. "You can choose from them, assuming you have choices left."   
"What do you mean?" Frisk asked.  
"Well, many of them chose each other already," The monster said, pointing over to a group of monsters that were talking and shaking hands. "There IS one fighter who doesn't have a partner yet..."  
*************************************************************************  
"WHAT?" Frisk stomped around and pulled at their hair.  
"Hey, it's not like I'm happy I have to fight by a runt like you, either," Halustreg scoffed.  
"But we're fighting that scum, whether you like it or not!"

"What about me?" Chara asked. "I still don't have one." She turned her head towards one monster. The one and only monster who could keep up with her. She looked at Sans.

Sans shrugged. "Sure, kid. I'll fight with ya."  
They high-fived. Frisk sat on the ground, pouting more than ever.  
"I don't wanna fight Habriel!" They protested loudly, loud enough for him to hear them.  
"You're gonna, and you're gonna like it," Halustreg demanded.

"Don't worry, Frisk." Habriel said. "I'm sure the blazing blade will make a goat team member."

Halustreg wanted to choke the life out of the boy. 

"Alright!" An announcer said. "Now for the first match up." A big screen showing a red line in the middle, almost like two things were clashing. "For the first round, we have Papyrus and his partner Costantia, versus Dogamy and Dogaressa!"

The rest of the duos went over to the side of the match stage to watch and wait for their own match to happen.  
The crowd went wild for each team as the match began.

The two dogs ran onto the stage, bumping axes and nuzzling each other's noses, ready for their opponents. 

Papyrus proudly marched onto the stage, practicing his fancy laugh while showing off his great scarf. Then his partner emerged. It was a slender skeleton monster who wore an orange dress and bandanna with sandals. She had two orange dots act as pupils in her eye sockets which had eyeliner on them. She had a very beautiful smile as she stood by Papyrus.

"Hey..." Habriel said to the family. "Thats Kaizer's daughter, the girl in the picture..."

"I remember seeing that picture. I was in that room too. You guys didn't know it, though." Chara said, watching her and Papyrus in awe. "I'm rooting for them. Who're you rooting for? Them too?" Toriel and Frisk nodded. Flowey was just interested in what would happen.

"You don't stand a chance, Papyrus!" Dogamy growled. "Not when the two of us are together. Your blue attack will be useless!"

"NYEHEHE!" The tall skeleton scoffed at the dogs. "IT IS YOU WHO DOESN'T STAND A CHANCE. YOU SEE IT'S NOT JUST MY SPECIAL ATTACK YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT..."

"You have to worry about both of us." The female skeleton said. "You may be the best when it comes to teamwork, but that's nothing compared to the force of nature we are when we're together."

"As a reminder of the rules!" The announcer said. "Ring outs are allowed. No killing. You fight until your opponent either gives up or if they're out cold. Both team members on the opposing team have to lose on order for your team to win. If you lose the fight, you have to sit out of the ring. You cannot get back on. Everyone only gets one chance. The champion of tonight's tournament will participate in a final battle. There, they'll be facing off against the final team. Undyne and King Asgore.

"Fair enough," Constantia nodded upon listening to the rules. "Let's do this, Papyrus," she smiled at the taller skeleton, who returned the smile.

The match began. The two dogs leaped into the air, axes in hand, only to get struck by bones thrown by the tall skeleton who was more than proud with himself.

"Undyne and Asgore, huh?" Habriel thought aloud. "Now that's something..."

Halustreg had spoken with the monster announcer, making sure he would go up against Habriel in the competition. He didn't want the opportunity to slip by.

"I'm sorry." the announcer said. "I'm not making exceptions to the match up. If you want to face off against him, you can win a match or two until you are paired against him. That's if he survives long enough for that."

"Please, do this for me." Halustreg begged. "I need this match to-"

"Enough!" the announcer snapped. "You got your answer, now please return to your seat." The goat monster huffed and returned to his seats. "The winners for the first match are Papyrus and Costantia!" The two skeletons celebrated and held hands as they skipped off the stage. "And now for round two! Royal Guard 01 and Royal Guard 02 will be facing off against Habriel and Seraph!"

Habriel got up from his seat and made his way to the stage. "Good luck, my child." Toriel said, giving him a quick hug before he went off to the stage. Habriel made his way to the stage and watched as the monsters went up from the other side. 

"Wow, you two might actually win this...." Habriel said. Everyone in the crowd heard him.

"Really?" 01 gasped. "02, is he serious."

"Hell no!" Habriel exclaimed. "You don't stand a chance!"

02 put his hands on his hips. "Well that's not very nice! You should wish someone luck before you fight them!"   
"Don't bother," said 01. "Let's just start."  
The battle began. Immediately, Habriel began to siphon power from Seraph to fight the two royal guardsmen.

Seraph floated around the stage and watched the guards charge at Habriel from a distance. One of them went right for him, swing left and right and over his head. He managed to dodge a couple and grabbed the mknsters arm by the third strike. 02 was stuck. 01 was behind Habriel and was about to strike from behind. Without even looking, Habriel materialized a sword and blocked the strike from behind. Everyone in the audience gasped, including the family. Both Habriel and Seraph smiled, and chuckled to themselves.

Then Habriel forced the guard backwards, sending him flying to the floor of the stage.   
Frisk cheered for Habriel, which highly annoyed their teammate beside them.

"How'd he do that?" Halustreg asked.

"It's him and Seraph." Chara said. "When Frisk and I were partners, we could read each other's minds. I would watch out for their blind spots and tell them if an attack was coming from those directions. That's why dodging is so easy for them. Why they made it look effortless back then. Seraph and Habriel have to be doing the same thing. They're actually working together...."

"It's actually amazing that they can work together like that sometimes..." Frisk muttered, watching Habriel and Seraph beat the two royal guardsmen easily. The guards were frustrated and tired, moving less enthusiastically than they did when the battle commenced.

"I'm honestly just glad that they're not fighting each other for once." Chara smiled.

"Perhaps if things were different, they could be friends," Toriel sighed, watching them fight. The guards lost the fight.

Habriel high fived Seraph when they were done and shook the guard's hands. Habriel went up and returned to his family. "That was fun!" He said. 

"Now for the next match!" The announcer shouted. "Next match is Final Froggit and Whimsalot fighting Snowdrake and Ice Cap!"

Habriel and Seraph and the other team went offstage to sit back down and watch the other teams fight each other. This served as a resting period for their next battle.

"And the winners are Final Froggit and Whimsalot!" The announcer said. "Up next! Frisk and Halustreg will be facing off against The Mad Dummy and Loox!"

"Oh boy..." Frisk looked to Habriel. He gave them a thumbs up.   
Halustreg hurried them along onto the stage before the battle began. Mad Dummy was in his usual rage.  
He threw a bunch of knives towards Frisk, who avoided them. Halustreg charged forward as the dummy was distracted and tried to take him and Loox out.

Halustreg transformed into a cloud of smoke and re-materialized behind loox. Grabbing the monster from behind and throwing them off the stage. All that was left was the Mad Dummy.

Frisk continued to dodge all of Mad Dummy's attacks, making some of them redirect towards him. He howled in anger and pain from the power of his own attack.

Halustreg threw a fireball at the dummy. Setting it on fire. This only infuriated it even more.

Soon enough, the frayed and charred dummy decided to give up. The Loox had just crawled back onto the stage, beaten. The announcer declared Frisk and Halustreg as the winners of the round. They returned to their seats in the audience.

"Alright, that was a rather intense fight! Let's hear it for human Frisk and the Halustreg!" The crowd cheered the two on. Halustreg didn't didn't show it, but he was rather excited, watching the monsters chant his name. "Now for the next fight! We have Muffet and her pet against Saber and Lepra!"

Muffet and the two cats shook hands as they made their way on the stage.  
"Have fun, you two," Someone called to the cat warriors from the crowd. 

The two cats turned and saw it was Frisk, cheering them on. They both smiled, but Lepra waved back to the small child. The announcer waved his hand downwards "Begin!" he shouted. 

The pet charged forward to bite a chunk out of Saber. However, he leaped into the air and landed on top of the giant spider, chuckling to himself. Muffet wanted to get him off her pet, but Lepra kept getting in the way.

"Just don't kill him," Muffet breathed to the cats as she kept avoiding attacks from Lepra.   
"We won't," Lepra and Saber smiled. Muffet strung a web and caught one of the cats in it

Saber danced on top of the giant spider monster, doing a jig. This did nothing but piss it off.

The pastry-like spider teetered to one side, knocking the cat monster off its back. Lepra swiped at the web attached to her, trying to get off of the sticky surface. Muffet was attacking meanwhile.

Saber extended glowing orange claws and slashed at the web on Lepra, helping her rip it off. She nodded her head towards him before blocking Muffet's punches. The pet tackled Saber to the ground. But the cat monster quickly rolled back onto his feet.

The exhausted spider monster scuttled away from Saber and slumped on the ground, breathing hard.  
Muffet was on the brink of surrendering to the cat duo. The rest of the monsters, fighters or not, watched intently.

It was a battle like none other. Ruthless killers out of their environment. Assassin versus assassin. This was a fight that nobody asked for, yet wanted.

Muffet's spider whined from the corner. She looked over at it with a look of concern before being punched square in the face by one of the cat warriors, knocking her off her feet. She landed with a thud. The monster fighters in the audience cheered.

When it came to this fight, it didn't matter who won. It was a great fight, none the less.

"Alright, alright," Muffet held her hands in front of her, standing slowly before Saber and Lepra.   
"You won. Good job," She smiled, shaking their hands. She collected up her spider pet and they were out of the fights.

"That was amazing!" Habriel exclaimed. "Never saw anything like it! I couldn't think of a better match up when it comes to them."

Muffet went and picked up her pet, stroking it and reassuring it as she ventured off stage to sit. She and the cats were still smiling and friendly towards each other- the ideal situation when it came to competitions like these.

It was rather surprising to say the least. After all, the cats used to be her competition. But it seems like everyone changed for the better after the barrier was destroyed.

 

The noise died down in the audience so they could hear the announcer. The monster took the microphone.  
"Amazing job! Now it's time for the next battle match-up," The monster stated.

"This time it'll be Sans and Chara facing off against the Greater and Lesser Dogs!" The announcer shouted.

"Let's go, kid," Sans smirked, and Chara joined him and they walked up to see the other team.  
The two dogs were adorable, as always, but this wouldn't be a problem for Chara or Sans. They could fight through the facade.

"Begin!" the announcer shouted. Chara charged towards the dogs who braced themselves for her and knocked her back. She turned around and saw the skeleton just whistling to himself. 

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Come in and fight!"

"alright, alright, sheesh..." Sans shrugged. A tiny bone slowly rose up from the ground, lazily floating towards the dogs.

"What? That's your attack?!" Chara groaned. "Why don't we jus-" She turned around, hearing a frenzy of activity. The two dog warriors were barking and chased the bone around, flying off the stage in their flurry of fun.

"Sans and Chara win by ring out..." the announcer muttered in the microphone.

Lesser and Greater dog looked up at the stage and other team, realizing what happened. They walked off to the audience, whining in disappointment. Sans and Chara smiled at each other, chuckling, and went offstage.

"Up next!" The announcer shouted. "We have Habriel and Seraph facing off against Halustreg and Frisk!"

Halustreg almost fell out of his chair. He quickly readjusted himself and stood up, puffing out his chest proudly and marching up, dragging Frisk along. Frisk didn't want to do it. They got on stage. So did Habriel and Seraph.  
"The scum is mine, understand?" Halustreg said threateningly to Frisk, who gulped and nodded silently.

"Any line you won't cross?" Habriel asked the monster.

"What do you mean, scum?" Halustreg growled.

"Any boundaries or rules for yourself?" Habriel clarified.

"I don't hurt women ans children." Halustreg said. Habriel's expression turned into a death glare. He was pissed.

"Didn't stop you, just now." Habriel growled.

"What? What do you mean, scum?! I don't ever break those rules!" Halustreg bellowed, aggravated at the boy's gall. "Don't lie!"

"Then what was that there with Frisk?" Habriel growled. "You talk to them like that again, and I'll skin you with your own swords. Got it?"

The goat growled. "Threats are only words compared to what I can do, and you know that," He bore his teeth at the boy. "I just want them to stay out of the way."

"Why, afraid they'll steal your precious spotlight?" Habriel asked.

The battle began before Halustreg could answer the question. He immediately leapt to attack Habriel, leaving Frisk on their own in the fight.

Halustreg grabbed his blades in the middle of the air which turned red from the heat. He started slashing at Habriel from above who made a violet bubble to block the attack. Before the monster could do anything, Habriel snapped his fingers and the bubble exploded, sending Halustreg flying. However the monster just barely managed to land on his feet at the edge of the stage.

Meanwhile, Seraph and Frisk were left unattended by their teammates in the fight. Frisk was hesitant to do anything.

"Don't even bother." Seraph said to the child. "There's only one being I can touch and that's Habriel. That rule goes both ways. You can't touch me, either."

"Pfft. I wouldn't try it, anyway," Frisk stated, rolling their eyes. "I've seen what you can do and what you're like. I wouldn't wanna go near you."

Halustreg continued to slash at Habriel who dodged effortlessly.

"Trust me." Seraph muttered. "If I could attack other people. Your family would all be dead..."

Frisk gave him a blank expression and a thumbs up. "Thanks, buddy," They said apathetically.

They went back to watching Habriel and Halustreg fight. It was like watching a cat fight a canary. Habriel had the monster completely outmatched.

Seraph and Frisk, though opposed to each other, agreed on this one thing. They both chuckled while watching Halustreg fight the boy. It seemed that no matter what he did or would do, there would be no way he could ever become as strong or skilled as Habriel.

Halustreg's eyes became bloodshot out of frustration. Habriel however, smiled as he sweeped the monster's feet with one kick, knocking him off balance. Halustreg landed on his butt, blushing as Habriel smiled and winked at him.

Frisk and Seraph stood by the entire time watching this unfold. The announcer decided that Halustreg was out.  
The goat monster grumbled angrily and stormed away.   
"But the fight's not over unless both teammates on a team are out," The monster stated.

Habriel looked over at Frisk and smiled. "Well Frisk..." Habriel shrugged. "I love you, but I'm not gonna throw the match." His brightened. "Something tells me you won't, either. So let's make this a fun time."

Frisk smiled innocently and jumped up and down. "Let's get this party started!!" They cheered. The monsters in the crowd looked at each other, confused, but laughed at the child's anticipation.

Habriel stood at the opposite end of the stage. Soon his eyes began to glow violet and he slid what looked to be a staff with a pillow attached on each end. He made one for himself as well. "Let's make this interesting." Habriel said.

Frisk laughed at the sight. "Are those pillows?" They chuckled. "I guess that's one way to make it interesting..."

"Well I'm not gonna hurt you." Habriel laughed as he shrugged.

"Do I even have a weapon to beat that?" Frisk asked themself out loud, laughing even more while rummaging through their inventory. "I... have a stick. Would that work? I'm usually the one to dodge things more than attack someone..."

"I guess..." Habriel said as he made the staffs disappear. "How about this? We'll play a game of tag. However, we're both it. Whomever tags the other person first wins. The other has to jump off the stage. That way, we both get to work on our dodging."

"What about him?" They asked, pointing to the specter standing beside Habriel. "What will he do this whole time?"

"Seraph, turn around and cover your eyes." Habriel said. "Lets make this a fair fight." 

"Whatever...." Seraph muttered as he floated away, turning around and looking up at the sky.

Frisk put their stick away. "Alright, let's do this." They winked.

Habriel slowly paced back and forth on his side of the stage, smiling. Waiting in anticipation for Frisk's move. He was gonna let them make the first one.

They imitated his movements, unsure of whether he would move first or they would. They dashed forward with their arms out to tag him when they thought he didn't expect it.

Habriel jumped over their head and landed behind them. He ran off to the opposite side of the stage, smiling at them.

They turned on their heels and dashed back towards him, laughing out loud. It was just like any other game to them. He was quick, though, and was hard to catch.

Habriel chuckled as he continued to jump and run away from the small child. Despite this being a tournament, he wanted to have some fun.

Neither could stop giggling, they just couldn't help themselves. Though others would say they should have taken things more seriously, it just seemed like the most entertaining game to them. They'd never played tag before the tournament, so this was interesting for both sides.

Despite having a lot of fun. They knew it had to come to an end eventually. "Here I come!" Frisk laughed as they ran forward. But they were gently poked on the forehead by a chuckling Habriel.

They froze and were completely silent. They yelled, making the audience roar with laughter.   
"How did you do that?! Come on!" They complained, and he laughed, leading the two of them off the stage so the next battlers could go on.

"Alright." The announcer said. "For our next match. We have Sans and Chara facing off against Papyrus and Costantia."

"alright, bro," Sans got onstage with Chara in tow, beaming. They were all smiling. Sans and Papyrus high fived each other before the fight started.  
"I'D SAY GOOD LUCK, BUT YOU DON'T NEED THAT, BROTHER," Papyrus saluted the other team.

"let's have a good time, bro." Sans patted the skeleton before meeting his partner on one side of the stage. He looked and watched as the female skeleton held Papryus' hand, smiling.

"They're so cute together," Chara whispered, leaning in towards Sans, chuckling. "i know," He whispered back, grinning widely. The battle began.

Costantia smiled as an orange cloud appeared out of nowhere. Then there was two of her, one standing on each side of Papyrus.

Sans wondered how hard the others would fight, and considered waiting for a bit to generate Gaster Blasters. He thought that if he did, he'd be overdoing it. Chara borrowed Frisk's stick for the fight, thinking the same thing. Neither thought they could truly fight Papyrus; they just didn't want to see him hurt.

Costantia however, was a different case. She seemed to be much tougher than she looked.

Sure enough, she was battling a bit harder than her partner Papyrus. Her two copies soon were close to Sans and Chara, trying to surround them and corner them. Chara wielded her stick fiercely, and Sans formed and threw bones in Costantia's way.

Both skeletons held their hands in the air and orange whips extended from them.

"Looky what we got here." Chara smirked. "A real fem fatale."

Constantia laughed and unleashed a whip at Sans simultaneously. He caught it and yanked it towards him so he could get to her easier. She let it go and it dissolved into nothing, reappearing from her hand.

The clone unleashed her whip at Chara who sliced the whip into multiple pieces with the stick. The human giggled, satisfied with herself.

Costantia used the other whip to snatch the stick out of Chara's hand while she celebrated, making her jump.  
"Don't worry, Frisk'll have it back at the end," the skeleton winked.

Chara gasped. "How does she know who we are?" Chara thought aloud. 'Did Kaizer tell her about us?'

The fight continued- it seemed Sans' and Costantia's abilities were well matched. Eventually, the fight ended with the female skeleton winning. Afterwards, Chara went to her to speak to her in the crowd.

Chara and Sans could have easily wiped out everyone participating in the tournament, including Asgore, Undyne and the humans. However, they simply participated for fun. They didn't care about winning or losing, they just wanted to have a good time. For this reason, they let the skeleton pair win the match. Costantia and Papyrus stood triumphantly, basking in their victory. 

Chara looked for the female skeleton in the crowd.   
"Hey, how do you know us?" Chara whispered as they sat back down in the seats with the other monsters.  
"I've been talking to Kaizer a lot," Costantia answered. "He's been filling me in on what's been going on."

"I used to not get along with him." Costantia continued. "But, he changed after he started leading his own group. He's gotten more open with me."

"What has he told you already?" Chara asked, curious.  
"Well, that'd be a lot to tell," Costantia laughed. "He's told me about all of you guys and things that he did with you."

"Like how you made him sore after some prank you pulled on him." Costantia laughed. "How Habriel and Frisk are thick as thieves and how loving and caring Toriel is."

Chara snickered. "That sounds like us. I guess he's had lots to tell after what we've all been through together..."

"Yeah, its good to finally meet you." Costantia said. "Although I have something I wanna ask."

"What is it?" Chara raised an eyebrow.

"Do any of you know Papyrus well?" Costantia blushed. "I wanna get him a gift because..." she hid her face.

"What for?" Chara asked, grinning. "We all know Papyrus well. What occasion?"  
She asked, nosy to hear Costantia's secret.

"I...I wanna ask him out..." Costantia whispered to Chara. "He got me into the Royal Sentries. And he's so smart with his puzzles. And he's so confident and cool."

Chara laughed loudly, and the skeleton shushed her.   
"Cool? He's a goofball in a Halloween costume," Chara snickered, holding her face.

The skeleton waved her off. "You wouldn't know cool if it slapped you across the face."

Chara continued laughing and snorting quietly. "Yes, I would; you just like him a lot," She said, quieting down. "But alright."

"Well?" Costantia huffed impatiently. "What should I get him?"

"Well, let me think..." Chara adjusted in her seat to face the skeleton more. She held her head in thought.   
"I'm trying to think of things that might be sold in Snowdin, or around here somewhere... he really likes action figures, he likes going on the internet, uh..."

"He also likes spaghetti and puzzles...." Chara said.

The skeleton sighed in disappointment. "I'm not a good cook..." she muttered.

"Well, he enjoys cooking himself! Why not get him something for the kitchen?" Chara suggested suddenly. There was another fight going on while they talked. It was Saber and Lepra facing off against Madjick and Knight Knight.

"True..." Costantia rubbed her chin. "Okay, thanks for helping me."

"Up next, we have Saber and Lepra facing off against Habriel and Seraph!" The announcer shouted.

Toriel, Chara, Flowey, and Frisk cheered for Habriel as he stepped up to face the cats. Monster Kid and Napstablook cheered for him, too.

"You seem to be a little too excited for this match." Saber asked the boy, sweating. He saw Habriel's demonic grin.

"Oh..." Habriel chuckled darkly while cracking his knuckles. "Of course I'm a little excited. I've been waiting for this..."

Saber and Lepra looked at each other, sweating nervously. "I don't know how to feel about this," One said to the other quietly, staring at Habriel from across the wooden boards. 

"You're still mad, huh?" Saber asked nervously.

"Is Aliyah still dead?" Habriel asked, coldly.

The two cats frowned, sighing, groaning, the like. "We're really sorry about that," Saber pleaded to the boy. "I know it was extremely inappropriate to do that. But how can we do anything to fix it?" The cat asked in a strained tone.

"Fight back." Habriel said. "I don't want you two to run away this time." He slowly made his way around the arena as Seraph watched from above.

The cats looked at each other again. "Alright," Lepra answered, keeping her eyes on the boy as he walked around. The battle was signaled to begin.

Habriel immediately shot a violet beam between the two, separating them. He went after Saber amd the violet beam turned into a wall which Lepra couldn't get past. When it came to these cats, their team work was their greatest strength, but also their greatest weakness.

Lepra watched frantically, scratching at the violet wall between herself and her partner in crime. Saber swiped at Habriel with his claws one arm after the other, which Habriel dodged fairly well. Lepra continued her protests and scratching through it all.   
"I thought you wanted to fight both of us!" She whimpered.

"I am fighting both of you." Habriel said. "I'll be fighting you when I'm done with him." Right afterwards, Habriel knocked Saber off the stage. He got a ring out.

Saber went and sat down, cheering on Lepra from the sidelines as she was about to fight Habriel next.  
The violet wall Habriel made vanished, leaving the fighting area more open than before.

She jumped back to the center of the stage, sweating. Waiting in anticipation for Habriel's next move.

"Don't worry, Lepra," Saber called from the audience, catching her attention. "You can take him!" But she was distracted, which Habriel took advantage of. Saber realized his mistake too late.

Habriel turned Lepra violet so she couldn't move. He knocked her off the stage and waved his hand, turning her back to normal.

She stared at him, dazed. The crowd went wild for Habriel. He beat them like they were nothing.

He had exploited their weaknesses. The rest was history. Habriel hardly had to use it properly as long as he knew how to use it on them.

Habriel went back to his family. "And the finale battle will be against Undyne and Asgore," The announcer declared, making everyone gasp. "Who could go up against them?" Chara asked.

"But first, we have Habriel and Seraph facing off against Papyrus and Costantia!" The announcer shouted. "Whichever team wins this match shall face the King and the Captain of the Royal Guard!"

"Alright, Papyrus," Habriel smiled as he joined Papyrus and Costantia. "Let's do this."  
"YES, LET US DO THIS," Papyrus cheered. "LET THE BATTLE START!"

"Let's make this the time of our lives!" Habriel said, getting excited. The announcer signaled the match to begin.

Costantia smiled too at their enthusiasm. She formed whips from her hands like before, and Papyrus began forming white and blue bones to send towards his opponent. He sent them in a flurry, white after blue after white, randomly.

Seraph told Habriel where to move and the boy did exactly as he was told.

"JUST WAIT FOR MY... SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus yelled triumphantly, even though he hadn't won anything yet. It was just his style. Costantia got out of his way just in case it was really strong or impressive.  
Papyrus merely shot out a faster flurry of bones.

'Move to your left!' Seraph thought. Habriel did as he was told and jumped over any bones still in his path. 

Papyrus smiled. "AMAZING, HUMAN! YOU MANAGED TO DODGE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"   
Costantia approached now with her whips.

Habriel backed away. Avoiding the whips as much as possible. It would have been an easier fight if Papyrus didnt send another onslaught of bones.

Papyrus seemed ecstatic as the battle went on, as he thought that he was a tremendous fighter, proven by his teamwork with his partner. She liked seeing him this happy.

Habriel smiled as Papyrus admired himself. The tall skeleton deserved his moments of glory. After all, he works hard every day with his job. He's more faithful and dedicated than anyone Habriel knows.

For a moment, Costantia looked back at Papyrus; Habriel grabbed hold of the whips in her hands and yanked hard, throwing her off the stage in a blur. Papyrus was startled.   
"OH NO! NOW I SHOULD FIGHT TWICE AS HARD!" He said.

"GET READY, HUMAN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "BECAUSE, HERE COMES MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

Habriel chuckled. The skeleton's enthusiasm was just infectious- it seemed the monsters watching them fight also felt his excitement. Even though he wasn't the best at fighting, everybody seemed to support him and enjoy his company.

Even Habriel started rooting for him in his head. The skeleton was so passionate about everything. Its hard not to like him.

Seraph rolled his eyes.  
'Really? You're rooting for him?' He asked in Habriel's head as the fight went on.

'Doesn't mean I'll let him win.' Habriel thought. 'This battle's just exciting as all...'

'Whatever...' Seraph shrugged. 'Jump up in three seconds.'

Papyrus, though charismatic, began to falter and become slower than before. The bones weren't coming at Habriel as fast or frequent; he was getting tired.   
"I'VE... GOT YOU NOW... HUMAN," Papyrus decreed, gasping. He had used up his energy in the first few attacks.

Habriel was cautious. Waiting in anticipation for the next attack. If he learned anything, its that skeletons can be unpredictable. Especially Sans and Papyrus. He wasn't taking any chances and watched carefully for any sudden movements.

Papyrus looked at Costantia in the crowd. She could see he looked completely exhausted and didn't know what else to do. She gave him thumbs up and cheered him on, but he wasn't as energetic as he was at the beginning.

Despite this, he wasn't about to give up. He wanted to show everyone how great he is.

Habriel was beginning to see that the skeletal opponent was actually tired. Even so, Papyrus kept his famous smile on his face the entire time. He was having fun. He drew some more energy from the crowd's cheers and sent another onslaught of bones Habriel's way.

The family didn't know who to root for. They both cared about Habriel and Papyrus a lot. So this was a struggle for them to pick a side. 

They just enjoyed watching them have fun.   
"HUMAN, HOW ARE YOU NOT TIRED YET?" Papyrus asked, slightly intimidated by Habriel's endurance.

"Well, I kinda do this everyday." Habriel laughed. "Plus, I've fought in something like this before..."

"OH COME NOW, SO HAVE I," Papyrus laughed. "I'VE FOUGHT FRISK!" Frisk waved to him, making him smile.

"Yeah..." Habriel nodded his head. The boy had much more experience with fighting in tournaments. He didn't tell anyone, but he was forced to fight in them back at the Cathedral for their entertainment. That's why they made him fit. That's also how they determine who to use as a sacrifice in a ritual. Whomever would lose a match in the arena at the Cathedral would become the next sacrifice. Habriel lost his last fight there, but escaped before they could do anything.

"THIS IS GOING NOWHERE," Papyrus stated, changing heart.   
"Yeah," Habriel agreed. "HM. MAYBE A GOOD PUZZLE CAN SOLVE THIS? NO, THIS IS A BATTLE..." Papyrus stood, trying to think of what they could do to make the battle interesting.

"How about a game of wits?" Habriel said. "A riddle, to be specific."

"ALRIGHT, HOW ABOUT IT?" Papyrus smiled and clapped his hands together.   
"WHAT KIND? HAVE SOMETHING IN MIND ALREADY?" He inquired curiously.

"Actually yeah." Habriel smiled. "Answer me this. What has no ears or tongue? This body shouldn't be able to use phones. Tickling doesn't work on him. Because he's only made of bones."

"WHAT? THAT'S A SKELETON, HUMAN," Papyrus answered straight away without thinking much into it or caring to do so, as he thought he knew it immediately. "WHAT MORE IS THERE TO IT?"

"Well, I wanted to start off with a simple one." Habriel shrugged, smiling. 

"SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT," Papyrus grinned daringly. Costantia watched him the whole time in admiration.  
"Alright," Habriel smiled.

"You want a hard one off the bat?" Habriel said. "Alright. Riddle me this: I am what men love more than life. Hate more than death or mortal strife. I am what the content desire. The poor have, the rich require. The miser spends me, the spendthrift saves, and all men carry me to their graves. What am I?" 

"HMM... WELL, THE POOR DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING, AND SOMEONE WHO SPENDS A LOT WOULDN'T SAVE MUCH, SO... NOTHING?" Papyrus answered, hoping he was correct.

"Yup." Habriel said, satisfied. "Let's see you make a riddle. Give me a good one."

"ALRIGHT, LET ME THINK A MOMENT," Papyrus said, thinking.  
"I GOT ONE. I CAN BE WIPED CLEAN, BUT HAVE NO SURFACE. I CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY, ANGRY, SAD, OR NERVOUS. WHAT AM I?" The skeleton projected.

Habriel thought about it for a moment. "A reflection?" Habriel asked. Hoping his answer was correct. 

"NO, HUMAN, A REFLECTION CANNOT BE WIPED CLEAN. I'LL GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE," Papyrus told him.

"I don't know." Habriel shrugged, smiling.

"THE ANSWER WAS: A MEMORY! NYEH HEHEH!" Papayrus cried triumphantly, posing gloriously.

"You really are amazing, Papyrus." Habriel smiled.

"WHY THANK YOU," The skeleton smiled brightly. "SO... DOES THIS MEAN COSTANTIA AND I WON?"

"Yup, congratulations." Habriel said. "And good luck with Undyne and Asgore."

The skeleton's smile wavered, which Habriel saw. "TH-THANK YOU," He said, and both walked off to the crowd.

Habriel went back to his family and sat down.

Costantia and Papyrus joined on stage and the announcer stated that it was time for the final battle. They would face Asgore and Undyne. The team joined the stage. Undyne smiled at Papyrus and gave him a thumbs up, which he returned. Asgore smiled at them all.

"You got this, Papyrus!" Habriel cheered.

Habriel's family cheered too. He smiled at them from up there. He knew he wasn't ready though. Nobody could be ready when put up against the king himself and his strongest royal guard.

Despite this, he was gonna try his best anyway. After all, now was his chance to show how great he was.

"You'll do great, you guys, don't worry," Undyne said, hoping that her words would encourage the skeletal team. "Yes, do not worry," Asgore said warmly. "Even if we aren't the best at battle, we all have our strengths."

"You've got this, Papyrus!" Habriel said. "This is a fair fight, you can do this!"

"Stay Determined!" Frisk said.

"THANKS, YOU GUYS," Papyrus smiled before they were all told that the battle had to commence. Costantia had her whips, Papyrus his bones, Undyne her spears, and Asgore his trident.

The announcer smiled. Watching all the monsters cheer for everyone on stage. This was a fight everyone was going to remember. The announcer swung his hand downwards. "Begin!" He shouted.

Undyne went ahead of Asgore and started right in with her spear, only blocked by some of Papyrus' bones and Costantia's whips. Asgore swung his trident, breaking some of the bones Papyrus had spawned. Papyrus and Costantia spawned more bones and sent them flying towards Undyne and the king.

Costantia unleashed her whips and wrapped it around Asgore's trident. Yanking it out of his hands.

He grabbed onto it and they fought in a sort of tug-of-war, as Undyne and Papyrus fought it out beside them. Undyne wielded a single blue spear and Papyrus decided to mimic her by fighting using one large bone to match the size of her weapon.

They clashed and everyone saw sparks fly from the spear and bone. Costantia had spawned a clone to fight Asgore while she was fighting him in the tug-of-war.

Asgore struggled against her and her clone. Papyrus saw this, and threw a bone at the king, hitting him in the head.  
"SORRY, YOUR HIGHNESS," Papyrus called to him sheepishly as he fought Undyne.  
"It's a fight, isn't it?" Asgore said back to the skeleton.

"I'm not sorry." Costantia laughed as she grabbed his cape and jumped over his head.

"Hey!" The king chuckled at her remark and whipped around to face her. Papyrus was distracted momentarily, and Undyne overpowered him, knocking him over on the stage. 

"Hey!" Costantia barked as she spun around the King with the cape in hand. She threw him off the stage. However, he landed on his feet. Barely dizzy.

"Oof," He chuckled. "You pack quite the power," He grinned.  
"Yaaa!" Undyne tried to hurl Papyrus off the stage but he tore away from her grip and spawned more bones to fight her.

She broke through the bones and hurled him off, anyway. Now it was just Undyne fighting Costantia.

"Wow, they really are something, aren't they?" Asgore asked standing beside Papyrus.   
"YEAH," The skeleton nodded. "NOW IT'S JUST THEM."  
Undyne held her spear by her side and stood at the opposite end of the stage from Costantia.

Costantia stood at the opposite end of the stage. Whips ready, waiting in anticipation for the next attack.

Undyne yelled and charged right at the female skeleton, spear aimed high above her head to strike her. Costantia moved out of her trajectory and sent the whips forth, wrapping around the fish monster's glowing blue weapon. 

She made an orange cloud to hide in where her clone appeared and unleashed her whips.

Both the clone and real Costantia pulled on Undyne's spear, and their combined force allowed them to wrench the weapon away from the fish warrior's grasp.   
"Not bad," She said, forming even more spears.

They got ready to deflect any spears coming at them.

Blue spears rained from above, thundering down on the stage. The skeletons blocked them with their whips above their heads. While the spears were falling, Undyne tried charging the two forms again. She didn't want to lose this battle.

Neither was Costantia. She made another cloud of smoke her and her clone vanished in.

"Wha?" Undyne couldn't see much with the orange smoke all around; it blocked her vision. She kept her guard up; she couldn't tell where her opponent was, but she was prepared to fight.

Before she could react, an orange whip wrapped around her left foot.

The skeleton pulled Undyne off her feet. She slammed on her back on the stage floor but soon jumped up again so she wouldn't be out of the fight yet.  
She tried to surround Costantia with many blue spears aimed at her.

Costantia yanked the whip again and threw Undyne off the stage. However, Undyne threw another spear in the middle of the air which knocked Costantia off the stage as well. They both fell out of the ring at the same time.

The announcer seemed to not know what to say.  
"It seems that both teams have fallen out of the ring," He stated, shocked. "But Undyne fell out before Costantia, so I believe that Costantia and Papyrus have won the tournament."

"Well, we did both fall out." Costantia said. "It would only make sense to make this a draw, right? After all, Undyne and I can always settle it later, right?" Undyne smiled and gave a thumbs up. 

"Well, sure. Your teams draw, then."  
Some monsters just left, not caring much about the end, others were satisfied.

"That was a good fight." Habriel said. "What do you guys think?"

Undyne and Costantia shook hands, smiling. They also shook hands with the other teammates.  
"THAT WAS A GOOD FIGHT!" Papyrus cheered, skipping over to the others.  
"Yes, quite amazing," Asgore clapped his hands.

"You all did great out there." Habriel said, shaking their hands. 

"i'm proud of you, pap," Sans hugged his brother. "WE SHOULD GO CELEBRATE, EVERYONE!"   
Papyrus grinned.   
"Maybe we could all go somewhere together when the festival is over," Chara suggested.

"Yeah, we should all hang out." Habriel said, excitedly. "It's been a while since we've all been together."

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Undyne smiled.  
"You can all come over to my house afterwards!" She invited. Frisk and Flowey smiled.  
"Can we, Mom?" They asked.  
"Of course, children, we can all go," Toriel stated.

"What should we all do?" Habriel asked. 

"Let's watch anime!" Undyne exclaimed. "The ones with the giant sword, mech-fighting princesses!"

There weren't many events left in the festival- the ones left were small events scattered through the area that small crowds would attend. 

"By the way, mom." Habriel said. "If you want to go out on a date with Sans, I'm sure Undyne and I can watch the kids."

"I'd have to discuss it with him and Undyne," Toriel stated. "Thank you, my child."  
She went over to Sans and Undyne and began talking to them about it.

Habriel smiled at his family as they walked back to the ruins. And he remembered the date he had with Marion from what seemed like a long time ago. 

"So, you're okay with staying with Habriel and the kids at your house?" Toriel asked Undyne, who grinned.  
"Yeah! You two go have fun! We can have our own fun at my place."

"Going to your house?" Habriel asked. "Alright, cool."

"Yeah, c'mon! We can do tons of fun stuff at my place!" Undyne smiled and brought Frisk, Chara, and Flowey along with her and Habriel.  
"We're giving Sans and Toriel some time together."

"Have fun!" Habriel waved off and the family left. Sans shrugged and looked up at Tori. "so." he said. "anything you wanna do?"

"I don't know," Toriel smiled. "Anywhere you'd like to go?" She asked the short skeleton.

"heh, we can always go to my favorite..." he looked over at Grillby's.

"Alright," Toriel nodded. They walked over and entered the establishment.

"Hi Sansy!" a monster called out to him. "Sans, its been a while!" another said. The smiling skeleton waved to the monsters and made his way over to the bar, sitting next to Toriel. 

"Another victim?" Grillby asked while cleaning a glass cup. 

"nah, didn't prank her or anything." Sans shrugged.

"...yet..." Grillby said as he put the glass down. "What'll you two be having?"

"couple o' 'burg," Sans asked Grillby, and the fire monster went into the kitchen.

"glad we can finally spend time together, tori." Sans said as he downed a bottle of ketchup. "not saying that the knock knock jokes aren't nice but...i like this a whole lot more." he blushed a little bit, looking up at her.

"I agree," She smiled at him. "This is nice."  
Some of the other patrons were pleasantly surprised that Sans actually scored a date for once.

"i'm kind of new to this whole dating thing." Sans shrugged. "so i could use a good tuToriel."

Toriel blushed and chuckled at the name pun.  
"You never run out of punny things to say, Sans," She laughed.

"heh, good one." he chuckled as he took another sip from the ketchup bottle.

"Sans, you really are funny and I'm grateful that you've helped me and the children," Toriel thanked him.

"aww, no problem, tori." he said, looking up at her. "anyone'd have done the same in my slippers."

Toriel was enjoying her time with Sans.   
She chuckled. "I guess now that we have this alone time, we can 'ketchup.'"

"heh." Sans took another sip. "alright sure. let's taco bout something..."

Toriel swiveled her bar stool to face the skeleton beside her.  
"What do you want to taco bout?" She chuckled again from the pun.

Sans chuckled, even though it was the same pun. "well aren't you being saucy..."

"I remember the first time we met," The goat monster smiled, reminiscing.  
"Well, we hadn't met face-to-face yet. It was before I came out of the ruins. You'd tell me jokes through my door."

"yeah, those were good times." he said, looking up at her, smiling. "but this is better, a lot better." They looked at each other for a moment and leaned closer, slowly. They slowly closed their eyes, getting ready for what comes next. But suddenly they heard a grunt. They both turned to see Grillby with their food.

"I'll just leave this here..." he said, before trailing off.

Toriel laughed out loud because of the remark. She turned back to the small skeleton and quickly stole a kiss from him, making up for the lost moment.

The skeleton blushed and watched as she was about to take a bite out of her burger. Instead, he gently nudged her to look at him again. She turned and widened her eyes in shock as he returned the kiss. She blushed as she put down the burger.

Back at Undyne's house, the children and the fish monster were watching some anime together. She prepared them tea and they sat together on bean-bag chairs by the television.

"What anime is this called?" Habriel asked. 

"Oh, this? This is just one of many animes that I like that I thought Frisk and Chara might enjoy," Undyne grinned.  
"It's called 'Jo-Jo's Bizarre Adventure. I think it's pretty cool."

"I like the soundtrack." Habriel said as the pillar men theme started to play.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Undyne reclined in her bean-bag. "I really like anime sound-tracks too. They really go along with the shows well."  
Frisk seemed to be engaged in the show.

"So what's going on, here?" Habriel asked her.

"Right now, JoJo's meeting his brother Dio for the first time," Undyne stated as the show continued.

"Oh alright." Habriel said. He wondered if there was an anime like Utak. And if there was, if he could find it in the Underground.

"Oh WAIT," Undyne quickly changed the show. "Aww, what?" Frisk complained.  
"I realized this might not be the best show for you guys; I forgot there may be some inappropriate material later on," She blushed.  
"What would you like to see? I have 'Inuyasha,' 'Black Butler,' 'Fruits Basket,'" She rattled off a few shows that would be more appropriate.

Soul Eater flipped on. Death the Kid was fighting Crona on a pirate ship.

Frisk and Chara suddenly wanted her to keep this show on.  
"Alright, Soul Eater it is then," She laughed and settled back down with them.

Everyone watched as the winged child in the show sliced the ship in half with one swing of their sword.

"Whoa..." Frisk said while watching. They all kept watching.

"I bet Undyne can do that, too." Habriel chuckled, nudging her.

"Hah! You bet I wish!" The fish warrior chuckled at his remark as they watched the show.  
"I don't think any normal monster's that powerful, though."

"Something tells me you can, though." Habriel smiled at the fish monsters.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sans, I want to thank you for this." Toriel said while holding his hand. The couple walked along the edge of town and watched as monsters started to head home as it was getting late. The festival lights shined brightly on both of them, highlighting all their good features to each other. 

"snow problem, tori." Sans winked as he looked up at her. She could hardly hold it in. She couldn't help but snicker. They both paused and realized something. Despite being out in the cold outskirts of Snowdin in the evening, they both felt warm. Comfortable even. They wanted this moment to last forever. She leaned down, getting down to his level. Soon enough, their faces met. Both smiling and blushing, feeling young again. 

"Sans..." Toriel muttered as he leaned closer. His skeletal hand nudged her chin closer and closer. Every inch, the feeling got more intense and they soon forgot their surroundings. The only thing mattering right now was what was in front of them. Not a moment later, they tasted each other. Toriel was warm and moist, and tasted of cinnamon. While Sans was cold and dry as ice. However, he easily made up for it as he tasted of spear mint. They were caught up in the moment and time had lost meaning to both of them. They were together at last. Sans blushed as Toriel gave a slight moan of approval. 

After what seemed like an eternity but was really only a minute, they let each other go. They nuzzled and giggled, not a single thing mattered at that moment. They sat by a tree and rested, Sans sitting on her like a cushion. She however, hugged him from behind like a teddy bear. "Perhaps the children can wait a little longer..." Toriel whispered as they both started to let themselves relax.

"heh..." Sans shrugged. Although Toriel didn't see it. He was no longer using his fake smile. This one was genuine and full of life, feelings he hadn't had in a long time. For once in his life, he felt that there are things that mattered. He was whole again. "i ain't complaining..." he said.


	30. Chapter 30

"Wait, why are they fighting?" Flowey asked, watching Death the Kid and Crona battle.   
"I dunno, we missed the beginning," Chara whispered without peering away from the screen.  
"Sorry we couldn't catch it earlier," Undyne said quietly.

"We'll probably find out later." Habriel shrugged. However, a skeletal hand reached for his shoulders from behind. Habriel turned around and there was Seraph.

"We were gonna learn something..." Seraph reminded in a condescending tone.

"Oh, right..." Habriel said. "The demon..."

"Now that your helicopter mother is distracted," Seraph said. "I think now's the perfect time."

"Pff. She's not a helicopter mother, she cares about us."  
Habriel stood and excused himself from the group, saying that he just needed some fresh air.  
"Let me know if you need anything," Undyne reminded him as he walked away from the group.

"Alright." Habriel said from outside. "How do we begin?"

Seraph pointed at the ground beneath the boy's feet. "Construct a rune." he said. Habriel did so as a large violet one appeared. "Now I want you to think of creatures made from pure magic." Seraph went on. "They have neither Compassion, nor Determination. They only have sin. As you noticed. The main traits consist of mostly virtuous traits within both monsters and humans. Are you aware of Newton's third law?"

"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction." Habriel said. 

"This rule applies to magic as well." Seraph explained. "The opposite of these virtuous traits are the sins that the demons represent. But, they also reside in their own plane of existence. Which means that they abide by their own rules. The very first demon may also represent you. Wheb you summon it, it is not because of the sin you have most,"

"but the one I'm mostly affected by..." Habriel said. 

"You catch on quick." Seraph said. 

Eventually, Frisk noticed that Habriel had been absent for a while.  
"Do you think he's okay?" They turned and asked the fish monster sitting with them.  
"I think so. He said he just needs some air. Maybe he went for a walk."

"What was your first demon?" Habriel asked.

"Wrath..." Seraph muttered. "But enough about me. Think of your life. Think of all the terrible things people have done to you and focus all that into constructing this being."

Habriel closed his eyes and thought about all the loved ones he lost. How his parents had abused him. How the Cathedral did unspeakable things to him. All of it formed together, all the anger, all the sadness. It all formed into a being standing before him. 

Finally, there it was. A woman in a dress made of roses standing in front of him. She also wore a head dress made of roses which hid her eyes. Habriel gasped as she looked like Marion.

"Congratulations." Seraph said. "You summoned a Lust demon."

"Why does she look like Marion?" Habriel asked.

"Lust demons take the form of the being the summoner longs for the most." Seraph explained.

"Oh great," The boy said sarcastically.   
"Now what do I do?" He asked, sighing.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------

"This was wonderful, Sans," Toriel smiled warmly. "We should do this again sometime.   
For now, though, I need to go get the children."

"I want to show you a trick." Seraph said. "I'm what's called a necromancer. I resurrect people. I've discovered multiple ways to do that. One way is to turn the being into a lich. And the other, is to take their soul and put it into a new body."

"What are you saying?" Habriel asked.

"Start a fight with the demon." Seraph said. "Do you see a soul?" 

"No..." Habriel said. 

"Just like Flowey..." Seraph said. "And you still have Marion's soul, correct?"

Habriel pulled it out of his pocket. "Where are you going with this?"

"Chara was right about one thing." Seraph said. "Her soul was too weak to return to her old body. So, she simply needs a new one..."

"Bye, Sans," Toriel smiled and waved to the skeleton.  
"bye, tori," He bid her goodbye and watched her go off  
towards Hotland. She was going to pick up her children from Undyne's.

"Why do this?" Habriel asked.

"Because I trust that girl over the Lust demon." Seraph said. "I doubt she'll try to kill you."

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" Habriel asked.

"I don't." Seraph shrugged.

"I can read your thoughts, remember?" Habriel said.

Toriel decided to take the River Person's boat to shorten her ride.  
She made some contented small talk, awaiting her arrival.

Habriel didn't get an answer, just instructions. He placed the soul within the demon's body.

"Alright, now cast the spell like I've instructed in your thoughts." Seraph said. Habriel did so, and focused on all the happy moments he's had with Marion and how no one can replace her. She was able to take control of the body. She gasped as she took off the headdress. 

"Habriel?" she gasped. "Wh-what did you do?" Habriel started to tear up as he hugged her.

"I'm not quite sure what I did, myself." Habriel said. She returned the embrace.

"How is this possible?" she asked. "I was watching from your pocket, but I didn't quite catch everything."

"I don't know." he said. "But I'm glad your back." She cupped her hands on his cheeks and stared into his eyes. Her's were now a blank white. While his are still the beautiful violet she saw when she first met him. They stared for a couple seconds before finally, a kiss. A long, passionate kiss.

Seraph rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.  
"Alright, alright, you've done it, congratulations," He clapped his hands mockingly.  
"But it wouldn't have been possible without me. Now let's move on already."

Marion reared her head to the specter, looking rather livid. Large veins coming from her eyes reaching across the face suddenly popped. "Give us a moment." she snapped. 

"You can make that face all you, want." Seraph said. "It'll never scare me."

"Whatever, dude." Habriel said. "Thank you for doing this for us."

Seraph did not expect that response. He expected a violent outburst which he could play with. Instead, it was actual appreciation for what he's done. He got acknowledged. He didn't realize it until he received it, that he wanted that feeling very much. He just kept quiet. 

They heard the front door of the house open and footsteps approach.  
"Habriel? You okay?" It was Undyne's voice- he had been out for a little longer than  
he previously expected, or at least, he hoped the others wouldn't notice.

Marion and Habriel both gasped as Undyne came out of the house. Seraph was already gone, and so was the violet rune. They simply stared at the fish monster in surprise.

Undyne stared back, staring mostly at the girl in Habriel's arms.  
"Uh... is that..." She started, extremely confused. "Isn't that the soul...? The   
girl you cared about? What happened?" She asked.

"Seraph kind of had me summon a demon that looked like her and had me put the soul in the body." Habriel said. "Since its not a human body. I don't need the magic from a monster soul to put it back in since the body itself is a pure well of magic. Even more so than you monsters. So while she has the body of a demon. Its still her, and the best part is that I didn't have to turn her into a lich. As Seraph calls undead humans."

The fish woman stared at them still, astonished and lost for words.  
"So... this is good, right? She's back for good?"

"Yeah." Habriel said. "And if she does die again, I can just summon her and she'll be just fine."

Undyne smiled.  
"Then uh... that's great! Sorry I was weirded out at first, you understand," She strolled over casually.  
"But it's great that you're back!"

"Its good to be back." Marion smiled. "Prefer this much more to being cooped up in someone's coat pocket." She turned her head to Habriel. "No offense."

"None taken." Habriel said.

"Hey, why don't you come in?" Undyne offered.  
"Habriel and I were hanging out with Frisk, Chara, and Flowey until Toriel got back. She went on a date with Sans," She stated.

"Of course." Marion said and they made it inside. Toriel entered the hall to Undyne's house. She didn't see them head inside, but was on her way to the house.

The mother hummed to herself, still blushing hard from her time with the smiling skeleton.  
'I wonder how the children are enjoying themselves?' She thought. She reached the house and knocked on the door. Undyne got up and answered it.

"Hey, Toriel!" Undyne said. "I need you to prepare yourself. The kids in there are just as shocked as you're gonna be." Her smile grew wider. "They still didn't say anything, yet. They're just staring at her in shock."

"Her?"Toriel muttered as the warrior dragged her inside her abode.  
"Can I peek yet?" She asked. Undyne was covering her eyes. "And... now!"  
She let go.

There they were. Habriel standing next to Marion. She was as beautiful as ever. Wearing a dress made of roses and blank white eyes. She held Habriel's arm as they both looked at the children. Chara was dumbfounded, Flowey's eyes were wide open and Frisk's jaw was on the floor.

"MARION?" Toriel's voice came louder than she predicted, and she apologized quickly if she startled anyone.  
"Habriel, Marion... how are you back, my child?" She asked.

Habriel explained everything to her and the rest of the family. What Seraph taught about demons. Virtues and sins. How he summoned a lust demon. The ritual with Marion's soul. The two ways Seraph explained how to resurrect humans and how Marion will not die again.

Toriel hugged the resurrected girl.  
"I'm so glad you're back, my child," The goat monster murmured.  
"We were sad without you."

"Thank you." She said, hugging back. "I saw everything as a soul. I'm so glad I can move and talk and breathe again."

Marion was tackled by the children once Toriel stopped hugging her.  
Flowey smiled from his flower pot.  
"Wow. That specter did something good for once."

Habriel chuckled as Frisk knocked her over and Chara tried to stop them. "So, what do you plan to do, now?" Habriel chuckled.

"I don't know." Marion said. "Probably grow my hair out. Then you and me, get some place to go on vacation some time. Somewhere with a nice breeze and nearby a cool stream..."

"Got our future all planned out?" Habriel chuckled again.

Toriel chuckled. She gathered her children around her, bidding Undyne a hearty goodbye before they departed from Undyne's house back towards the ruins. Toriel still was a bit flushed from her date.

"So how was your date with the comedian?" Chara asked.

Toriel blushed a ridiculous red and hid her face in her ears, chuckling.  
"O-oh, the date. It went really well," She explained within her happy embarrassment.

"Really well..." Habriel chuckled at the sight of the fluttered goat woman. However, he felt a sudden kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend.

"Our turn next, Habbie..." Marion giggled. Habriel widened his eyes and started to look like a little strawberry from the kiss. He ducked his head, trying to hide it.

"PFftt alright, we'll give you time to yourselves. If you tell us how that date went, I'll clue you in on mine," Toriel stated, winking towards Marion and Habriel.

"Oh really?" Habriel raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "That's how we're playing it, huh?" Toriel couldn't help but giggle to herself. Habriel turned his head to Marion. "What do you say? Lets go out on a date that'll blow theirs out of the water."

"Ohh..." Marion giggled. "Making this a little competition, huh? Who's the cuter couple?"

"Exactly!" Habriel snapped his fingers and laughed.

"Oh, my child, that will be a difficult challenge to face," Toriel chuckled.  
"Especially if you're trying to best something you know nothing of," She smiled.  
"Here we go," Chara rolled her eyes. "What a challenge."

"Oh, nothing?" Habriel smirked. "I know that look on your face. I've seen it before on countless people. I haven't seen someone so flustered since I once gave Marion a violet rose."

"My child, it's been a long time since I've felt special like that to someone else," The goat mother blushed.  
"So you two go on your date. Tell us about it, and I'll tell you about mine."

"Yeah, alright." Habriel said, resting a hand on Marion's shoulder. "You wanna do this now, dear?" 

"You don't even have to ask." Marion said. "Where do you want to go?"

"I found this beautiful place in the Underground nearby Snowdin and the Ruins. Its cold because of all the ice, but at night, it lights up like the starry sky. Perfect place, since no one lives there. We'll have it all to ourselves."

"You two have fun," Toriel smiled, and she and the children went back towards home while  
Habriel and Marion ventured towards the spot he told her about.

Habriel held Marion's hand as they trudged through the snow towards a cave.

"I'm not so sure about this..." Marion said.

Habriel smiled back at her. "Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Of course," She answered.  
\--------------------------------------------------  
"I hope their date goes well," Frisk said hopefully as they went and finally arrived at home.

Soon enough, Toriel's phone was ringing and Alphys was on the other line. "So Habriel and Marion are entering a cave." The scientist said. "I'll send a drone to follow them in case if anything happens because I don't have cameras set up at the part of the Underground they're heading."

"Alright, just keep it out of sight- it is a date after all," Toriel said.  
"That's fine. I'm on it," Alphys responded. They each hung up. This helped ease Toriel for any sort of risks due to the underground's monsters that could be anywhere at anytime.

The TV turned on it showed the footage of the drone. It observed Habriel and Marion slowly making their way through the cave. Alphys must have figured Toriel wanted to know what was going on as well. After all, the mother was much closer to them and can get to them much faster than Alphys.

"Wait a minute," Toriel called her again.  
"Alphys, though I appreciate that you want to help keep the children safe, I feel this is a breach of their  
privacy," The mother stated, watching the television screen.

"If they get in danger, you can get to them much faster than I can." Alphys said.

Toriel sighed.  
"Alright, it's fine I guess. I'll probably just not watch the TV unless you notify me about something significant happening," She stated.   
"Thanks again." 

"Now close your eyes." A voice from the TV said. It was Habriel's voice. Marion did as she was told and closed them. He led her to the end of the tunnel. What was on the other side was beautiful. It was an entire caverm of ice which stretched out for miles. There was an opening to the surface at the very top where light shined down to the bottom. It was night as the entire cavern glistened like the starry night sky from above. "Okay, now you can open them." Habriel said. Marion was completely stunned as Habriel simply held her hand with the most beautiful smile she's ever seen.

Toriel and the children played games together, trying not to pay attention to give the lovebirds their space.   
Alphys watched them on her large screen with sparkling eyes and a small smile.

"How did you find this place?" Marion asked. "Its wonderful!"

"Every night, I wake up from night terrors and sneak out here to calm down." Habriel explained. "It really helps."

Alphys noted this comment to tell their mother later on, since she thought it wasn't the best for him to just sneak outside during the dead of night. He was putting himself at risk by doing so, and the scientist vowed she'd be more watchful.

"It really is a lovely place." Marion said, while sitting down at the edge of a cliff. Habriel sat next to her. "Habriel, do you know the date?"

"August 16th. 201X." He said. Marion smiled as she pulled him into her. They embraced and shared a delicate kiss. They soon laid on their backs, despite it being cold. It didn't matter. After all, they both felt warm.

"Happy birthday, Habriel." She said. "I love you."

"Love you too, Marion." Habriel muttered while laying next to her.

Alphys texted Toriel furiously, jamming the buttons with her fingers.  
The goat woman's phone rang, and she looked at the screen, changing expression.  
"What? It's his birthday?!" 

Habriel sat up and continued to gaze at the star-lit canyon. Unaware of everything happening in the background.

Toriel set her phone down on the table and immediately began to gather the remaining supplies she had in the kitchen. She had Frisk and Chara help after she told them it was Habriel's birthday. They were going to bake him a birthday cake while he was gone. Flowey sat by the window in his pot. 

"I'm a little bored." Marion said, getting up. "Wanna do something?"

"Like what?" Habriel asked, standing up.

"Its been a while since I heard you sing your favorite song." She said. 

"Wait, I thought I'm the one who's supposed to get gifts." Habriel said.

"I know, but you're better at singing it." She said. "Besides its a male singer."

"Alright." Habriel chuckled, clearing his throat.

Toriel cleared the kitchen table and laid it out with a clean, neat tablecloth and plates and silverware around it for everyone. Once the cake was finished baking, she cooled it and the children assisted her in decorating it with purple and violet icing for the trim.

As soon as they finished, they saw Habriel standing up straight in the TV he was ready to sing. 

"I'm gonna make a change  
For once in my life  
It's gonna feel real good  
Gonna make a difference  
Gonna make it right

As I, turn up the collar on  
My favorite winter coat

This wind is blowing my mind  
I see the kids in the streets  
With not enough to eat  
Who am I to be blind?  
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer disregard, a broken bottle top  
And a one man soul  
They follow each other on the wind ya' know  
'Cause they got nowhere to go  
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror  
I'm asking him to change his ways  
And no message could have been any clearer  
If you want to make the world a better place  
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love  
It's time that I realize  
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan  
Could it be really me, pretending that they're not alone?

A willow deeply scarred, somebody's broken heart  
And a washed-out dream  
They follow the pattern of the wind ya' see  
'Cause they got no place to be  
That's why I'm starting with me

I'm starting with the man in the mirror  
I'm asking him to change his ways  
And no message could have been any clearer  
If you want to make the world a better place  
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror  
I'm asking him to change his ways  
And no message could have been any clearer  
If you want to make the world a better place  
Take a look at yourself and then make that  
Change!"

Toriel sat down for a minute, listening to his voice and wiping the sweat off her brow. She was relieved that he hadn't gotten back yet before they were finished preparing the birthday cake for him.

He sat down, finished singing. Marion gave a him a kiss on the cheek.

They wrote his name in the icing on top and sat down for a bit, wondering when he and Marion would come back home from their time alone. They were happy for the two.

Finally, the couple decided to get up and head back the Ruins. Alphys' drone flew away before it could get caught. 

'He's heading back towards you guys,' Alphys quickly texted to Toriel, who received the message with some time to spare. The cake remained in the kitchen while they all turned out the lights in the house, even blowing out the fire in the fireplace. They were going to surprise him.

Habriel and Marion made their way through the hallway and upstairs into the living room. "Looks like everyone's asleep." Habriel whispered to Marion. "Let's try not to wake them."

As soon as they reached the room the rest of the family was in, they flipped the lights on.  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HABRIEL!" They all yelled in unison, hoping that he would be happy with the surprise.

Habriel gasped and widened his eyes in shock. He had on a big, wide smile. "Oh my God, you guys!" He gasped, mouthe still wide open. "How did you know!?"

"A little birdie told us," Toriel chuckled and apologized to the couple, smiling.  
"I hope you don't mind this and I hope this didn't ruin your special time with Marion," Chara stated, watching for his reaction.

"Wait a minute." Habriel pondered. "Only way you could know is if you guys somehow saw our date. But that means...oh God, you heard me sing!" He started blushing.

Marion giggled and hugged him. "Looks like we don't even have to tell them." she said.

Habriel smiled at the family. "My singing's pretty bad huh?" he chuckled.

"No, no, it's amazing!" Frisk said.   
"You weren't bad," Chara smirked and chuckled.  
"You sounded wonderful, my child," Toriel smiled.

Habriel chuckled. "Well, thank you guys so much for this. I honestly never expected to have one of these happen in my life. To be quite honest. Being around you guys is the best birthday gift I could have." 

They hugged him.  
"Oh, that's right! We baked a cake," Toriel recalled suddenly and the group parted to show Habriel and Marion the cake sitting humbly on the kitchen table, ready to be divided and given to each person.

"Wow!" Habriel gasped, starry eyed. "This is amazing. You guys did this!? On such short notice, too! You really are amazing!"

"I hope you enjoy it, my child, because I wasn't sure what flavor you would like," Toriel said apologetically, smiling.  
"It's a vanilla cake, just in case you don't like it."  
"Let's dig in!" Frisk yelled.

"Vanilla's always nice." Habriel smiled and sat down with the family. Marion sat next to him. "You can honestly bake your desserts in any flavor you want, they always come out good."

Toriel gave a small 'thank you' as she began to slice the cake into equal pieces, handing plates with them to each family member as she went, leaving the last piece for herself once everyone had one of their own. They had candles, lit them, and sang him happy birthday.   
"Make a wish!" Frisk said in a chipper tone.

Habriel smiled and nodded his head, blowing out the candles. "So what'd you wish for?" Frisk asked.

"If I tell you, it won't come true." Habriel chuckled. 'Many more happy times like this.' he thought. 'More time with the family.'

They all hugged him again.  
"Did you not want to say that it was your birthday, my child?" Their mother asked, furrowing her brows.

"Well, its not that I didn't want to..." Habriel said. "Its just that it hasn't mattered my whole life, I just got desensitized to it."

"Dude, your birthday is a time to celebrate," Chara stated, slightly shocked. "And now that you're with us, we can all have a great time celebrating together!"  
"I made a drawing of you guys," Frisk handed it to Habriel and Marion.

"My human family kind of never celebrated it." Habriel shrugged. "So it kind of became unimportant if you get what I mean." He looked at the drawing. "Wow! It's beautiful!"

"It looks really good!" Marion gasped.

"Thanks," Frisk beamed, glad they liked it.  
"I tried to make it fast since you were coming back, and finished in time."  
All were in a jolly mood.

"You did an amazing job." Habriel said. "We look amazing."

The picture depicted slightly sloppy versions of Habriel and Marion, though accurate in color and appearance. They were standing side-by-side, holding hands. It had a bit of the ruins in the background around them, colored in purple crayons, with the house in the back.

Toriel took the picture and hung it on the fridge. Happy to see her children having fun and showing all their many talents. It was needed as for once they weren't worried about Habriel being in danger or something horrible happening.

"I would join in on the fun, but I could use a hand," Flowey joked, lifting the leaves on either side of his stem as if they were arms.

"Unbeleafable!" Habriel gasped. "You're into puns?"

"Oh, it's not like you didn't plant that seed," Flowey grinned devilishly at Habriel's pun.

"Me? Never!" Habriel chuckled. 

Frisk and Chara put their heads down simultaneously and Toriel smiled, shaking her head and giving a look towards Marion, who reflected the same look.  
"Maybe we should leaf it at that, then," The flower continued.

"At only tree puns?" Habriel asked. "Alright."

"What else you got?" The flower challenged him.

"I got jokes." Habriel said. "How did the skeleton know it was windy?"

"Hmm..." Flowey brought one of the leaves up to his face to think a moment.  
"I'm not sure. How?"

"He felt it in his bones." Habriel said.

"I can't let you get into this skull-duggery," Flowey retorted after the boy revealed the punch line to his joke.

While Habriel and Flowey continued to exchange puns, Toriel's phone went off. It was Asgore.

'Can we talk?' the message said.

'About what, exactly?' Toriel responded. A couple seconds later she received another message.

'About the custody of the children.' it said.

The children realized their mother fell silent nearby as they spoke. She wore an expression of anger, indignation, and fear. She continued typing on her phone without saying anything.  
'What do you mean?' She asked him.  
'You suddenly care?'

'Toriel, as much as you would refuse to admit it, I am their father and I care about them as much as you.' Asgore responded. 'I know you have Chara living with you now, and someone who I won't name told me about Flowey. Why you hid this from me? I don't know.' 

'What about Habriel, Marion and Frisk!?' Toriel texted back. 'Are you going to take them away from me, too!?'

'I don't want to take them away, I want a joint custody.' Asgore said. 'As for them, they can make their own decisions. If they want to stay with you, good for them. If they want to have a joint between you and me, I'll welcome them with open arms.'

Toriel grunted low, surprising for someone with such a soft voice as herself.  
'Why do you even care all of a sudden? If you cared about these children so much, you would have done this a long time ago,' She typed furiously.

'You hid them from me!' Asgore texted back. He was furious, too. 'I didn't know Chara was living back with you until the festival! I just found out Flowey is Asriel!'

'I didn't hide them, I was just caring for them whether you knew about it or not! It's a big deal that I'm caring for these children but it wasn't a big deal back when you sacrificed those kids for the barrier?!'  
She smashed the keys, gaining the attention of the kids.

'And what about you!?' Asgore texted back. 'All those kids met you first and you just let them go! You're just as much to blame for them as me! You didn't have to send them out of the ruins, yet you did, anyway!'

"Mom?" Habriel muttered, placing a hand on her shoulder.

'No, I'm not responsible! I didn't want to let them go, I had to! I wasn't going to just keep them there against their will! And look at you! You were the only one who dolled out violence upon them here!" She was tempted to throw her phone out the window. Her typing and expression were more and more furious.

'This is ridiculous.' Asgore texted. 'I want to see my children! End of story. I won't let you keep them away from me!'

"Mom, are you okay?" Habriel asked.

'Not all of them are yours,' Toriel texted and slammed down her phone on the table, sitting down and covering her face. Habriel could tell she was crying behind her palms.

"Mom..." Habriel muttered, hugging her. "What's the matter? Talk to me, talk to us."

"I'm arguing with Asgore," She whimpered, sliding her phone over to Habriel to look at the series of texts back and forth on the screen.  
"He says I've been hiding you children from him and he wants to have partial custody."

"Hmm..looks like he just specifically wants Chara and Flowey." Habriel said. "If the rest of us want to go, he'd accept that." Habriel sighed as he put the phone down. "I don't know much about Asgore and I don't want to get in the middle of your fight. But if he does get joint custody, I'll stay with you."

"And I'll stay with Habriel, no matter his decision." Marion said. "If he stays here, you'll have me, too."

"What about Frisk? How do they come into play?" Their desperate mother asked.  
"After texts like that... I kinda just wanna stay here," Chara stated concerned, eyeing the messages.  
"Me too," Flowey nodded.

"I think I'll stay here." Frisk said. "He seems to have just found out about Flowey and got pretty angry."

"In other words, he's looking for a fight." Habriel said.

"Alright, what should I say? I want to tell him that you all don't want to go," She said, revealing her face finally.

"I think this is something the two of you should resort out in person." Habriel said. "Its a little too big of a subject to just talk about over text messages. Besides, you both need time to calm down." He hugged her.

"I just don't trust him," She wept into Habriel's shoulder. "I'm afraid to see him. You know how   
I always put up an angry front when we see him."

"I know..." he muttered, gently petting her head, still hugging her. "But I'm sure if he had a reason to hurt us, he'd have done so already. Besides, we can't just ignore him forever. That'll just make things worse."

The mother wiped her eyes and stood up from her chair.  
"Alright, I'll go see him. Perhaps you all should stay here," She suggested.  
"I don't think it would be quite appropriate for you to come with."

"Wait." Habriel said. "As happy I am for you for facing him. You both need time to calm down and set up some sort of meet up."

"Alright," She picked up her phone to text him once again.  
'We really should speak in person about this. When and where would you like to meet?'  
She texted him, hoping he'd see her message.

"Tomorrow, wherever you feel is good to do this."

'How about I just go to you?' She typed.

'Alright.' the message said. Habriel put his hand on his mother's shoulder and smiled.

"I'm proud of you for doing this." he said. "Much better than the two of you furiously texting each other back and forth."

She sighed and looked at him.  
"I'm... terrified, honestly," She admitted, looking extremely tired and worn.

"I'll be there with you, if you want." Habriel offered. "Act as a mediator."

"Should I bring you along?" She asked.  
"I don't know if that would be good for the situation..." She sat back down.

"There's gotta be some mediator." Habriel said. "Doesn't have to be me. But someone's gotta be there to keep you two on topic and not at each other's throats."

"Alright. You're willing to do that for me?" She asked, looking at him again.  
"I don't want you to get stuck in the middle of an argument where  
you'd feel uncomfortable."

Habriel nodded his head. While it was sad that this had to happen, it was better off this way. Before things really escalated. A skeletal hand touched his shoulder. It was Seraph, with a serious face for once. 

"Now, I have something for you." the specter said.

"More demons?" Habriel asked.

"Something else." Seraph said. "A portal which leads to one very specific archive. Containing the history of the Cathedral...and your bloodline."

"How'd you find that?" Habriel asked, perplexed.   
"And why do you care enough to want to show me?"

"I know everything the archive had to say." Seraph said. "You just wouldn't believe a fraction of what I'd say without any evidence. As for the reason why. You'll begin to understand why your mission to stop them is in vain."

"Why do you suddenly care?" Habriel asked. 

"Because if you're going on a suicide mission, I'll want you to do something for me during it. I'm tired of watching others live their pathetic lives. I want you to be my last catalyst since I've ran out of patience. If you die right now, I'll just move onto whomever is still alive. Which is why I want you to wipe out the Clemens bloodline so I can finally be free." Seraph paced back and forth. "At least before you get yourself killed."

Toriel and the others hadn't heard any of this separate conversation because she was putting the children to bed in other parts of the house at the same time.

After she sent everyone to bed, she went back to Habriel to make sure he was alright around the specter. She still didn't trust Seraph and she wasn't going to let him hurt her son should he try. 

"You want me to kill my dad!?" Habriel chuckled in disbelief.

"He's the last one alive and as I said, he wants you dead already." Seraph said. "Like I said. The archive proves everything I have to say. Including everything about your father."

"How do you even know!?" Habriel asked. "How do you know he's with them?"

"When you died for that short period of time after getting possessed by Chara," Seraph said. "I was bound to him and I saw everything. The archive isn't just a library. It also contains visions, illusion and memories of your ancestors."

Toriel stared at them from the hallway, hearing the remainder of their conversation. This freaked her out.

"So where is this portal, then?" Habriel asked. 

"You have to make it." Seraph said. "Go out front and make a pentagram and I'll tell you what to do next."

"A pentagram?" Habriel asked. 

"Yes, a pentagram." Seraph said. "What? Scared the devil will come and get you? He already has plans for the both of us if he exists. We're already burning in Hell for eternity, so what's it matter if you draw a stupid symbol?"

Toriel was still staring right at them in the middle of Seraph saying these things to Habriel as if nothing was really wrong about it.

"Fine..." Habriel sighed as he went out front. He made a glowing violet pentagram outside of the house. 

"Alright." Seraph said. "Now I want you to think of the coordinates I'm thinking and use your magic to tear a hole into that pentagram." Habriel did exactly as he was told. Reading Seraph's mind. Getting every last detail of the coordinates. Then his hand started to glow and he waved it at the pentagram. A large portal opened up, floating above the pentagram. On the other side of the portal showed a hallway with multiple statues and bookshelves. 

"After you." Seraph said.

Toriel watched from inside, terrified, not quite sure of what to do. She didn't want him to go, but she didn't want to interfere or make the situation worse. Surely if anyone in the cathedral saw her too, it would be even worse.

"You can quit hiding." Seraph called out to Toriel. "We both know you've been watching us and it doesn't matter if you come along."

"So will we run into anyone from the Cathedral?" Habriel asked.

"No, they've long forgotten this place exists." Seraph said. "We'll be the first to set foot in it for centuries."

Toriel came out of the house, conflicted.   
"Why does he have to do this now?" She asked the specter, hoping that they  
would stop and come back.

"I can't think of a better time." Seraph said. "Everyone who would be in his way is currently sleeping. At least except for you."

"Don't talk about them like that." Habriel shook his head. "But there is one thing he's got right. I do have to learn this eventually. I might as well get it over with. If you want to come along or not. just let me know. The more I know about the Cathedral, the better I can hurt them."

"Well?" Seraph asked.

The goat woman sighed and made a face at Seraph before returning her attention to her son.  
"My child, be careful," She warned before hesitantly returning to the house.


	31. Chapter 31

Habriel nodded his head and went into the portal. Seraph was close behind. They were in the long hallway, covered in dirt and spider webs. Seraph was right. No one has set foot in it for a long time.

"Now what?" Habriel asked. 

"This way." Seraph said. Showing Habriel a room with a large tome in the center, with light shining down onto it. 

"This what you wanted to show me?" Habriel asked. 

"Wait." Seraph said. "If you touch that tome now, you'll die."

"Why?" Habriel asked. 

"It's a security system." Seraph said. "A spell. You'll need to show you are worthy."

"How do I do that?" Habriel asked.

"See the statues with all these different people?" Seraph pointed out. There were five statues. Each of a different individual. With a violet pentagram glowing from beneath the feet of each one. "When you step into those pentagrams, you'll be rendered unconscious and you'll have to fight a specter of all these individuals while you are dreaming. Defeat each one of them and then the book will accept you."

"Why fight them?" Habriel asked. "What makes them so special?"

"These individuals all beared the curse before you." Seraph said. "I was bound to all of them. They've all come here at some point and left their marks."

"Marks?" Habriel muttered. "You mean those statues." Seraph nodded his head.

"Yeah, that's simple," Habriel said sarcastically.   
"Better get to it, then, I guess." He walked up to one of  
the multiple statues and stepped onto the pentagram before it.

"Who is this one?" Habriel asked.

"They call her Karlel." Seraph said. "Also known as the Knight of Crows. My niece, the very first to bear the curse. She'd be the most familiar with your new family. After all, she fought and defeated your mother during the war between humans and monsters. She's actually the reason why Toriel is such a pacifist."

"What? Really?" It was strange to hear such facts which certainly proved Seraph's age.

Before he could say anything else, he fell asleep. Soon enough, he woke up somewhere else. Or at least, dreaming lucidly. He was at the foot of Mt. Ebott. All the leaves in the trees were brown, orange and red as they wrinkled up and lazily floated down to the ground. He looked around until he saw a figure close by. It was a woman in shining white armor with a violet cape, kneeling before him. The woman looked up at the boy, and without saying a word, she stood up straight. Drawing her sword and shield, clanging them, ready for battle.

She intimidated Habriel, but he needed to do this, so he prepared himself as well for what was coming next, preparing to utilize whatever magic he could think of at the moment. He knew she'd be strong, and wasn't going to underestimate her power.

He materialized a violet sword. But she ran around him. She was fast, even in her armor. Before he could do anything, she bashed him with her shield. Knocking him onto the ground. With the sword flying out of his hand, Habriel turned to face her and tried to crawl away. However she ran up to him and immediately cut off his head. 

Not a second later, Habriel woke up from the dream. Hyperventilating and grasping his chest. His heart beat skyrocketed.

"Sweet dreams?" Seraph asked.

"She...she didn't even hesitate to kill me!" Habriel gasped. 

"What'd you expect?" Seraph shrugged. "Flirting? A friendly conversation?"

"Well she IS technically family," Habriel breathed sarcastically.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
At the house, Toriel had not gone to bed. She couldn't sleep not knowing what was going on to one of her children. She couldn't possibly gauge how dangerous Habriel's mission was, and that's why she decided to just stay up.

"I don't think you really understand what's going on." Seraph shook his head. "You're fighting a specter of her. Not the actual Karlel. These specters will not hesitate to kill you."

"Could have told me that sooner." Habriel grumbled.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She thought about going through the portal to check on him. After all, it was still open and she was worried about him. But, she had already told him she wanted to stay in the house. She didn't want to disturb him, either.

She picked up her phone which almost blinded her in the darkness of the house before she could turn down the light to see what she wanted to do. She opened her conversation with Asgore once again, beginning to type to him.  
'Habriel used magic to see something from his past, I might not get any sleep tonight.'

'Alright, well. Just let me know when you want to do this, then.' Asgore texted back. 'Something from his past? What exactly is going on with him?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ready to go again?" Seraph asked.

"Alright..." Habriel grunted as he stood on the pentagram again. He fell asleep and entered the lucid dream again. It was the same place. There she was, kneeling like before. She stood up and once again drew her weapons. Habriel decided to keep his distance this time, thinking that he just had to fight her with ranged attacks. 

However, her sword began to glow violet and she slashed it towards him, digging it into the ground. A magic light beamed on the ground and ended beneath his feet. Before he realized it, violet crystals emerged from the ground an impaled him. 

He was awake again. He grunted, furiously and pounded the ground. 

"You really don't know how to fight her." Seraph shook his head. 

"Like you could do any better!" Habriel snapped. 

"Actually, yes I could." Seraph said. "Also, when you fall asleep, the statue projects the dream from your perspective. So I know exactly how you lose the fights."

"Well isn't that dandy?" Habriel chuckled. "I get my ass kicked and you get to watch it and laugh at me."

'You know that specter, Seraph? Cursed to follow him until the next person in his bloodline?' Toriel asked him.  
'Well, he says that he found information in the Cathedral that Habriel should see.'

'How?' Asgore texted. 'This sounds dangerous, is Habriel alone?'

'Not quite, Seraph's accompanying him along the way,' Toriel typed out.  
'Of course I don't trust him, but both are powerful with their magic.'

'Wait, if you don't trust him, why would you let them go by themselves?' Asgore texted. 'What if it was a trap set up by this Seraph? Habriel could be in danger for all we know.'

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Habriel tried fighting her again, this time with Seraph telling him what to do. He was lasting much longer than before, but he was starting to get tired. Meanwhile the specter seemed to thriving and full of energy.

'I know, but he needs to make his own decisions when it comes to this subject and I didn't want to interfere.'

'Alright.' Asgore texted back.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Seraph, do you mind if I just fight her for tonight if I manage to beat her?" Habriel asked.

"Do what you want." Seraph said. "I don't really care. The portal won't close unless if you destroy the pentagram, anyway."

'I'll go after them if it's getting towards morning and I see no signs of them,' Toriel texted the king and shut off her phone, only for her to sit in the silence of the kitchen. She stared out the window at the odd portal  
her son had created.

Finally, Habriel was starting to win the fight. She dropped to her knees and examined her wounds. Habriel was about to finish her until a violet beam of light shined down upon her. He looked at her and her violet cape turned black as feathers protruded from it. The bottom portion of her already long hair turned black and her helmet now resembled a skull. It was as if she was possessed by Seraph.

"Seraph?" Habriel asked aloud in the dream to see if it really was the specter doing this.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Though Toriel was overly concerned and never though she would get any sleep, as she rested her head in her arms on the table, her eyes drooped shut from exhaustion.

There was no response from the female. She slowly marched forward, ready to continue the fight.

'Habriel, just let me take over and fight her..." Seraph groaned.

"Wait, so that's not you?" Habriel asked.

"Of course not, genius." Seraph said. "I'm bound to you, not her."

"Then what's happening to her right now?" Habriel asked the specter more urgently.

"They were all bound to me at one point, remember?" Seraph said. "These specters are all these people when they were at their absolute prime. They couldn't be more powerful than when I was bound to them. Meaning that the specters are also gonna use the power they borrowed from when I was with them. Think of this as fighting a memory of them rather than the actual person."

"So what now?" Habriel asked.

"You don't stand a chance against that." Seraph said. "All the specters are probably gonna do that. So just let me take over when that happens."

Toriel, though extremely worried, rested her head in her arms on the table and her eyes dropped closed.   
A few hours later, she awoke with a shock, forgetting that she had decided to stay there until Habriel returned.

During her sleep, Habriel allowed Seraph to take over. He watched as the mage easily defeated the specter pretending to be his niece. "Hate to break it to you." Seraph chuckled at the specter. "But you're nothing but a cheap knock off. At best." The specter dropped dead and immediately, Habriel and Seraph woke up. Seraph gave Habriel control of his body again and they both watched the eyes of Karlel's statue glow violet. 

"Now what?" Seraph asked.

"I'm heading back home." Habriel said. "I'm too tired to fight the others and mom's probably worried. Seraph nodded and they both went through the portal and returned to the ruins.

He promptly came home to an exhausted mother with dark circles under her eyes and bags under her bags. 

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked as he checked on her. He was tired as well. And all sore from fighting Karlel. "What happened?" he asked her.

"Nothing, my child," Toriel raised her head more, blinking. "I just stayed up waiting for you. I knew I couldn't possibly fall asleep for a long time without knowing whether you were safe or not," She explained.

"I'm sorry." he hugged her. "I should have come back and told you as soon as I found out. Its not dangerous. To get access to the book, I have to fight these specters of my ancestors in lucid dreams. But they're all very tough. It took me all night just to beat one."

"It's alright, my child, I'm glad you told me what was going on," She hugged him.   
"Would you like to just sleep, or start your day now? I'm awfully tired," She confessed.

"I just feel like sleeping, to be honest." Habriel said. "You won't believe who I fought, though. In the dreams she killed me countless times. I had to have Seraph help me beat her because she was that strong. It was Karlel. One of my ancestors."

Tired Toriel seemed to be comprehending all he was saying, but at a slower pace. She seemed to need to go to sleep too.

"Here." he offered a hand to help her upstairs. She gladly took it as she used to railing to keep herself from falling asleep. While she looked at Habriel she saw the resemblance between him and Karlel. The pale skin, the flowing white hair, the beautiful violet eyes. How could she not have seen it sooner?

"You really do look like her," His mother mumbled as he helped her up the stairs to her room.  
"Like Karlel."

"Funny how time changes people." Habriel said. "I doubt that when you fought her. You thought that you would take one of her descendants in as one of your own children. But, I'm glad it turned out that way. Maybe this is a way to heal old wounds." He shrugged. "Who knows?"

She smiled at him as she entered her room, wishing him a 'good night' before going  
off to her bed finally.

"Goodnight." Habriel said as he shut the door to her room. He went over to his where Marion was sleeping peacefully. Smiling, he changed into a pair of sweat pants and a black tank top. Laying next to her and closing his eyes.

Everybody slept for a few more hours than usual because they didn't quite have Toriel to get them up; she was so exhausted that she slept late too. Even peppy Flowey stayed asleep inside his little ceramic pot on the bedside table in Frisk's room.

Habriel woke up with Marion squeezing him like a teddy bear. He reached out and gently stroked her hair, smiling.

Flowey was completely buried in his soil by the morning and when Frisk woke up, they had no idea where the flower could possibly have gone. They walked to his flower pot and stared at it for a moment before saying his name once. Nothing. They called him louder. Sure enough, the flower emerged once again from the dirt and stared.

"What~?" Flowey groaned. Emerging from the soil. His flower petals covered in dirt.

Frisk petted the dirt off the petals, against Flowey's wishes, which he put up with. Sometimes, the room in which he slept would rotate around to different rooms in the house depending on whoever felt up to it.  
He shook the remaining dirt off, hitting Frisk with some of it.   
"Hey!" They yelled, picking off the dirt.

"You asked for it." Flowey chuckled. 

They ran Flowey in his pot downstairs and went back up to their room to change into clean clothes after the mess he made. Chara woke up during this, changed, and went downstairs as well.

Habriel had already went downstairs and made a cup of coffee for Marion and himself.

Chara joined them down in the kitchen, then Frisk came back downstairs. Flowey was grinning and snickering.  
"Enjoy the dirt-bath?" He asked. They laughed.  
"It was a surprise."

"What're you two up to, now?" Habriel asked.

"Flowey buried himself in the dirt and I was trying to brush it off of 'im, so he shook his petals out all on my shirt,"  
Frisk explained.

"Heh...good prank." Habriel chuckled. Taking a sip of his coffee.

"Wasn't really a prank, but a violent protest," Flowey and Frisk chuckled about the situation.  
"I was just trying to help!" Frisk complained.  
"I don't like having my petals touched," Flowey huffed.

"So you shook it off like a wet puppy." Habriel chuckled. "How adorable."

"Adorable?!" Flowey yelled indignantly. "Well I never-!"  
Frisk and Chara were having a chuckle-fest in the background.  
"Yeah, laugh it up," Flowey seethed.

"Congratulations." Habriel said. "Ya played yourself."

Frisk and Chara laughed even louder.

Eventually, Toriel came downstairs, hearing that the children were all awake. She didn't want to just sleep through the day, no matter how tired she may have seemed or had been from the previous night. So she arrived in the kitchen shortly.

"Hey mom." Habriel said. "Want a coffee?"

"That would be lovely, my child," Toriel shuffled over and slumped down in one of the wooden chairs at the table.

"How do you like your coffee?" Habriel asked as he set everything up.

"Oh, a little sugar is just fine." She said as she sat down. Habriel fetched everything and soon handed her a coffee after giving Frisk and Flowey their own cups of water. "Good?"

"It is very good, thank you, my child," Toriel gave him a tired smile,  
sipping the coffee he generously whipped up for her.  
"I apologize for not getting up earlier."

"You needed the sleep." Habriel said. "Not like its the end of the world that we have a late morning."

Toriel's eyes opened more at a realization.  
"I still need to meet up with Asgore!" She exclaimed. She groaned.   
"We'd all need breakfast first, I'll have to change out of these robes, make sure someone's here for Frisk, Chara and Flowey..."

"Wanna call Sans?" Habriel asked. "Marion and I will make breakfast. You just worry about getting ready."

"Perhaps so," She hugged the two of them and called Sans, asking if he'd mind staying over at her place to watch the kids again. He agreed, and she hung up to get ready to go out and see the king. They had much to discuss.

Habriel and Toriel were both ready to leave as Sans appeared behind them.

"sup, tori." he said. "got a bone to pick with asgore?" he materialized a bone and made it float towards her.

She gave a half-hearted smile and caught the bone, making it disappear.   
"Yes, you could say that. Had an argument with him through texts and we'd decided it'd be best to just talk it out in person," She explained to the skeleton.

"alright, well good luck." He winked. Toriel gave him a quick kiss and waved everyone goodbye before setting off for the castle with Habriel.

She decided to take the River Person's boat to make the trip there faster, as to not keep Asgore waiting too long. They had to talk.

They made it to Asgore's castle pretty quickly. They saw him sipping on a cup of tea, and preparing two seats. Another cup of tea was set up on the other side of the table. He looked over and smiled. "I'm glad you could make it." he said. "If I had known you would have come along, Habriel I would have set up for three. I'm sorry."

Habriel waved it off, saying it was alright. The king also noticed how Toriel's face looked due to her lack of sleep the night before as she sat down in one of the chairs at the table set up.

"This tea always helps me when I don't get any sleep." Asgore said, offering a cup for her. "Maybe it could help you, too."

She silently took the tea placed before her, trying it as he cleared his throat.

He sipped his tea. Waiting in anticipation for a speech about his wrong doings and how he's a coward again.

"So..." Toriel set down her tea cup and looked up at him. "Shall we address the elephant in the room?" The question was very different than what he thought she'd say first.

"Yes." Asgore said. "We both already know each other's motivations and reasons for the way things played out. I would much prefer getting to the point, too."

"Alright," Toriel nodded, sipping her tea once again. "Would you like to start?"

"Yes." he sipped his tea. "I'd like to apologize for accusing you of hiding our children from me. I know you were just caring for them. With or without me in their lives. But I only found out about Chara living back with you at the festival when not long before she wanted to kill us all. Then I only found out yesterday who Flowey is. Knowing this, I want to take care of them just as much as you again. If not the others. Then please, at least them with a joint custody."

"And by 'the others,' you mean Frisk, Habriel, and Marion? Do you know much about them?" The mother asked in a questioning tone, suspicious. How could the king know much about these children if he never lived with them personally or saw them much?

"Other than what I've seen, no." Asgore admitted.

"So why do you suddenly care about them?" She asked, even more suspicious. It was showing in her voice.

"I'm not a heartless monster." Asgore said. "The barrier is destroyed so there isn't a reason to fight them."

"You could have destroyed the barrier much sooner and more peacefully." Toriel said.

"Stay on topic." Habriel said. "We're talking about custody and us children, not the barrier."

"So- while the barrier was up, you considered these innocent, harmless children worthy of being taken down?" She retorted, feeling anger rise within her.

"What was I supposed to do?" Asgore asked.

"Take Chara's soul and cross the barrier." Toriel snapped. "Gather the human souls peacefully."

"Peacefully?" Asgore asked. "Right after they murdered our son?"

"We're not here to talk about Chara, what happened in the past or even the barrier." Habriel shook his head. "Again, stay on topic. We're talking about the custody of the children."

Habriel stood by them, listening to their back and forth banter.

"Look at Habriel." Toriel pointed her son out. "Do you know anything about him?"

"I know he's brave and he does what he can for his family." Asgore said. 

Toriel shook her head. "He likes to read. He likes to sing. He likes pecan pie. I'm asking about those little things to know about for children. To take the time to get to know them. Not what he does when he's out there. Anyone can be brave and anyone would do what they could for their family."

Asgore began to sweat; she was putting him in a corner with her excellent argument.   
"What about Marion? Have you even seen her?" Toriel demanded an answer, confronting him more.

"No..." Asgore said. "I haven't."

Toriel, outraged and bewildered, looked to Habriel for signs that he understood Asgore's reasoning at all.

"Toriel, how long did it take you to find those little details out?" Asgore asked. Admittedly, it did take her a while to actually know more and more about Habriel. Just when she thought she knows everything about him, he has more to share. She only just found out last night that he actually likes to sing and that yesterday was his birthday.

"A while, but of course it did. It takes a while to learn things about someone. For pete's sake, Asgore, I've been trying to help Habriel and Marion get closure with their past in relation to the people in the Cathedral," She protested.

"And I would have done the same if they went to my castle first." Asgore shook his head. "You were given that chance, I wasn't."

"What do you suppose you'd be providing them with that I already haven't given them, granted that's what you think?" Toriel asked.

"A father." Asgore said. "Something even I can figure out that they don't have."

"Do you want that, my child?" Toriel turned to Habriel. "Do you think the others want that? Are you all dissatisfied with home?"

"Personally, I'd rather stay with you." Habriel said. "I can't speak for everyone else. But, he is right about one thing. Some people do need a father. Especially Flowey and Chara." 

"So... do we go back home and ask their opinions?" She asked.

"I'll call them and save us a trip." Habriel said, dialing Sans' phone number.

They waited for the others at home to pick up, until he was answered by Sans.  
"sup?" The skeleton answered.

"Hey, Sans." Habriel said. "Toriel and Asgore have a question for everyone back home. Mind if you put them on speaker so we can talk to them."

"got it." Sans said. He called everyone over to the phone and put it on speaker. "aight guys, you're up."

Frisk, Chara, and Flowey were at the table around the phone.  
They all said a version of their own greetings over the speaker, awaiting what Toriel and Asgore had to say.

"Children." Toriel said. "Your father and I have a question for all of you."

"I hope that your mother and I can agree that you need a father just as much as a mother." Asgore said.

"A... father?" Frisk wondered aloud.  
"You know who I am?" Flowey asked.  
Chara contemplated the concept; none of them had had a father in a really long time.

"Children." Asgore said. "ThouGh yOu mIght nOt seE it so mUch..." he choked. Tears leaked down his cheeks. "Chara...Asriel...I lOve you sO mUch and I mIss you deArly." He re-composed himself. "It would mean the world to me if I can see you two again. And if everyone else wants to see me, as well. I promise to take care of you as best I can..."

"Dad, I don't know if you should see me like this," Flowey said quietly. "I think it'd break your heart."

"Asriel..." Asgore choked. "Your father is tougher than you think. While it pains me to know what happened to you. I just want to see you again. Even if in a flower pot. I would do anything to hold you in my arms again." He continued to whimper and break down. Everyone, even Toriel didn't realize it until now. He was a lot more hurt by all this than they all thought. He didn't care what happened as long as their back and that he can see them again. He just wanted to see his children.

"Gee your majesty, ya really know how to get a man moving," Sans interrupted. "I can bring 'em right over, if that's what everyone agrees on."  
Chara, Frisk, and Flowey nodded. Marion too.

"I would love to see my children again." Asgore whimpered. "Even if only for a moment....I want to reach out and hold you again."

Sans took them and teleported to the castle doors. He knocked on them.

"You may come in." Asgore said, wiping away his tears. Sans opened the door right after.

"sup." he said.

Frisk, Chara, and Marion entered after the short skeleton, one of them carrying Flowey in his flower pot.   
"Hey, Dad," Chara waved. Flowey looked at him silently from his ceramic pot. Frisk smiled at the king kindly as they entered together.

"Chara...Asriel..." Asgore choked, holding his arms out. "Will you do this old man a favor and give him a hug?"

Flowey's pot was handed over to the king and Chara hugged the goat monster.  
"Sorry, Dad, I don't really have arms," The flower apologized.  
Frisk smiled watching them.

"It is okay, Asriel." Asgore choked, holding the flower. "When I found out you're my son. I was also told of a plan you all came up with to restore you. To gather seven human souls from the surface. I hope that we can all do it peacefully and so that we can hug each other again."

Flowey nodded. "This is... certainly strange."  
"It's good to see you again, your majesty," Frisk greeted Asgore.  
Marion met up with Habriel in the meantime.

"While its sad I won't get to see them as often since I'll be staying with mom," Habriel told Marion. "This is what's best for all of them."

"Habriel, it's not like we're leaving the ruins permanently," Chara explained.   
"We'll just be visiting here a lot more frequently."

"I never said I'd never see you guys again." Habriel said. "I said 'While its sad I won't get to see them as often since I'll be staying with mom, this is what's best for all of them'. Anyway, I'm happy for you Asgore. Happy for you that you get to see your children again."

"We sure have a lot to catch up on," Chara remarked. "Lots of stuff has happened, as you can clearly see," She stated, gesturing to Flowey's body and her own.

"Yes, I hope we can make up for lost time, as well." Asgore smiled as he looked at Chara.

Habriel turned to his mother. "Are you alright with this?" He asked her.

"I... guess so," She sighed. "I don't know how to feel at the moment, really. What about Frisk? And Marion?"

"I go where Habriel goes." she said. "So if he stays with you, I will as well." Habriel looked over at Frisk.

"What about you?" Habriel asked. "Wanna have a joint custody like Flowey and Chara or do you wanna stay with us?"

"Well, I think I'd prefer to stay with Mom," They started.  
"If Asgore doesn't mind, of course," They added in a small voice. They knew how much his children meant to him, but never felt as close to him as they did with their mom.

Habriel's phone went off and he pulled it out. "Hey, Alphys." Habriel said, with a smile. "What's up?" His expression changed from joy to horror in seconds as he choked, eyes widened with horror. His phone slipped out of his hand.

"What? What's wrong?" Toriel asked, shocked. "Has something happened?"  
"What happened?" Frisk and Flowey asked, looking at his face.

"Iredox escaped..." Habriel muttered.

"WHAT?!" Toriel shot up. "We need to go then! Where can we go to avoid him?"

"We can't..." Habriel said. "He's in Waterfall."

"Why don't we all stay inside the castle, then?" Asgore suggested.  
"Perhaps it will provide security while he's out there, for now."

"Mom..." Habriel said, turning to her. "That what you think we should do? Stay here, for now?"

The goat woman sighed.  
"Alright. As long as this place is secure and safe, then we'll have to stay here for now. I don't really see any other options anyway, as we'd be in more danger if we attempted to go home."

"Yeah..." Habriel said. "I'm not sure what I should do..." Seraph appeared from behind and made Habriel turn around. He was enraged. 

"Have you forgotten something?" Seraph growled. "What are we supposed to do, now? You need to go back to the ruins to learn more about the Cathedral!" The specter's appearance nearly gave Asgore a heart attack. He had never seen the specter before.

"Kind of stuck here..." Habriel said.

"And what about the deal?" Seraph asked. "You are supposed to wipe out the Clemens! How are you gonna do that here!?"

"I still haven't decided to agree to that deal, yet." Habriel snapped.

"You've been using my magic the entire time you've been in the Underground!" Seraph snarled. "As well as my knowledge!"

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Habriel asked.

"You owe me!" Seraph bared his teeth.

Toriel took the spare time they had due to the argument to explain to the king who this specter was and how he related to Habriel and the Clemens bloodline. It was a lot to take in, but after a bit, Asgore nodded, seeming to understand the basics of it.

"I don't have a choice!" Habriel barked. "I use it whether I want to or not! If I could get rid of you, I'd gladly do so!"

"You know how to get rid of me!" Seraph snapped. "You're just too cowardly to jump off a cliff!" They both eyed each other lividly.

"Dude, it wasn't his choice to have your attachment either, so just chill out. It's not his fault," Chara muttered, covering her face. She was sick of the fighting between them.

"He has the choice to get rid of me and chose not to!" Seraph reared his head at Chara. "You all continue to suffer because of him!" The specter pointed at Habriel.

"But we care about him too, so it's all worth it. The only one here complaining about him is you, and you should know very well the desire to be free and have a life of your own, just like him," Chara said simply.

"Freedom in life?" Seraph chuckled. "There is no such thing. I never had any freedom in my life! You claim to hate humans for being cruel. But, I'll let you in on a little secret. You monsters are equally capable of cruelty."

Frisk and Toriel were concerned since Seraph and Chara were so enclosed in the argument.  
"That's no secret, Seraph, and if you thought it was, you sure learn slow," Chara smirked.   
"Everyone's capable of cruelty, no matter who they are."

"I refer to you and your family. Not the race." Seraph chuckled darkly. "Look at that woman." Seraph pointed at Toriel. "She's only ever used adopted children as her emotional crutch and nothing else. If you die, she'll replace you with whomever comes along next!" Seraph then pointed at Asgore. "He just used his son's death as an excuse to hate humans. He kills even the most innocent among them and collects their souls like trophies! And when he saw that he was wrong, he kept on doing it. Waiting in his castle letting his people suffer because he was afraid. " He then pointed at Flowey. "This freak tortured everyone he cared about in his past life for fun over countless timelines! Over and over and over!" He pointed at Chara and Frisk. "You both did the same thing. Abusing the timelines, going through the Underground countless times including killing everyone just so you can try to get your perfect ending." He pointed at Habriel and Marion. "Do you even know how Habriel found out he was going to be sacrificed? Every month at the Cathedral, the priests force the children in an arena where they beat each other to a bloody pulp. Whomever loses the fights gets scheduled to be the next sacrifice! That's right! Habriel's responsible for the deaths of countless children ever since he was eight. He knew he was next because he lost in the arena! He's nothing but a pathetic coward! Desperate to win every fight in the arena. And the one time he lost, he was too cowardly to face his death."

"He's not a coward if he's survived past that, especially without your crummy help," Chara folded her arms.

"He would be dead if it weren't for my crummy help." Seraph chuckled. He turned to Toriel. "Tell me. Why do you condemn Asgore for being responsible for children's deaths? Yet hug and kiss Habriel even though he's even more guilty of the same thing?"

"Habriel had no choice but to do it, while Asgore very well had other options," She answered easily.

"Habriel could have tried to escape sooner but didn't." Seraph shook his head. "He could have also let himself lose at any given point."

"Alright, we're not here to fight," Frisk huffed. "And I'm sure I'm not the only one tired of this."

"I don't get it." Seraph said. "You're all absolutely terrible people. Just as terrible as me, yet you all seem to work together. Why?" He floated away and disappeared out of frustration.

The entire group sighed, relieved the specter decided to go. He was more of a menace than anything else.

"Well, Asgore...Sans....now you met Seraph..." Habriel said, rubbing his eyes. "One good thing about this is that Flowey and Chara won't have to deal with him as much."

"I have a good idea," Frisk piped up suddenly, taking out their phone. They dialed Alphys.  
"H-hello?" Alphys answered.  
"It's Frisk," Frisk greeted her. "Could you tell me what's going on with Iredox? Where is he?"

"H-he's in W-waterfall, but...." Alphys began to sweat. "He's somewhere that ha-has no cameras. But....I think there's something you all sh-should see...the footage o-of his escape..."

"We don't have a TV here," Frisk responded, trying to come up with a solution.  
"And it'd be hard for all of us to gather around one phone. How could we see it?" They asked the scientist.

"I-I can tap into a TV somewhere else in the castle or in the MTT Resort." Alphys said. "Or you can try to come over to my lab. A-after all. He's in Waterfall..."

"Alright, one sec," They said, putting their hand on the speaker to talk to everyone else.  
"Guys, he's in Waterfall. We can probably go someplace like the lab- Alphys says we should see the footage of how he escaped."

"c'mon." Sans said. "i've got a shortcut." He had everyone grab onto him as he teleported right into the lab. Alphys gasped, surprised to see them already here.

"W-wow...." Alphys wiped the sweat off her brow. "Tha-that was fast."

"Alright, ev-everybody," Alphys led them over to her giant wall-screen.  
"I can show you what I saw when he broke out."  
She pressed a button that rewound the footage.

One of the guards seemed to have been interrogating Iredox. The large fish monster seemed stressed and desperate. "Charabdyss! I need to see Charabdyss!" Iredox barked.

"Who is this Charabdyss?" the interrogator asked. "You've been talking about them non-stop."

"My son!" Iredox growled. "He must be starving so much! Its been a while since I've last seen him. Please let me see him!"

"I can't..." the interrogator muttered. Iredox opened his mouth and poison shot out and went inside the other monster. Iredox snapped his fingers and the monster seemed to undergo a trance. Unlocking the handcuffs on Iredox and letting him escape.

"Charabdyss? Heard of him?" Alphys asked, turning back to her friends.  
"No..." Toriel shook her head, and so did her children. Asgore didn't know either.

"I know he had a lover..." Habriel said. "It was the girl who beat me with the bat back when they captured me. Scylla was her name, I believe. I never thought that they had a child. I never saw them..."

"You think he was faking it? Like, came up with an excuse to leave?" Flowey asked nervously.  
"Or do you think they actually have a crime-seeking family, now?"  
"Who knows?" Alphys shivered.

"One thing's certain..." Habriel said. "He's too dangerous to just be roaming free. Someone's gotta stop him. And we'll have to make a decision as for what to do with this Charabdyss character."

"M-maybe you guys should stay here," Alphys offered her lab to the group.

"What about Undyne and all the othed monsters in Waterfall?" Habriel asked. "I can't just sit there knowing he could easily hurt them."

Alphys flipped the screen through various cameras near the major towns in the underground, checking to see if she could spot Iredox or anyone causing trouble related to him.  
"Nobody's bothering Snowdin right now... or Temmie Village..."

She activated a drone and sent it flying to the parts of the Underground where cameras weren't set up.

The drone silently flew high up, navigating through the tunnels leading to the Waterfall area. They all watched the monitor with bated breath, wondering if they'd get to see the lizard monster around this corner or that.  
So far, nothing.

It flew over to the end of a cave where a little fish monster infant was crying all by itself. Wrapped in a blanket and resting on a comfortable pillow.

The scientist gasped.  
"Is that... Charabdyss?" The drone floated closer to take a look at the wrapped infant.

The infant stopped crying and opened his yellow glistening eyes with slits. The little thing didn't even have teeth, yet and was blushing at the sight of the drone. Still whimpering slightly. However the infant was tiny, too tiny and skinny. It must have not eaten anything for days.

"Aww," Frisk whispered, watching it.  
"We should help him," Chara suggested. "He looks so skinny for a baby... but we shouldn't interfere with Iredox's family life..."

They waited for what seemed to be an eternity. Watching for the baby's father to come and feed him. For once, they would be glad to see Iredox. But nobody came...

"So... was all that t-talk about helping Charabdyss a lie?" Alphys asked, voice wavering slightly.   
"Maybe I can help. Maybe I can send a drone over with a bottle..."

"Alphys, where is he?" Habriel asked. "If Iredox won't help him, I will."

She pulled out an old map of the underground and pointed at a specific spot in the Waterfall region.  
"He's here," She stated. "Wait, let me just send the info to your phone..."  
His phone buzzed in his pocket, signifying that he received her information.   
"Alright, well, I'd prefer that we try using a robot first, for safety."

"The only one you have is Mettaton, though." Habriel said. "You think he'd be willing?"

"Well, I can always enhance and upgrade my drones," She pointed out.  
"That way, we can see what's going on on the other end, help the baby, and keep away from any danger. We can help him remotely."

"How long will that take?" Habriel asked.

"Let's see... I was already giving the drones arms... all I have to do is bring it back and get the formula to feed him..."

The drone was making it back to Hotland until it got snatched in the air by a tentacle. Iredox smiled at the camera. "Looking for someone?" he asked before crushing it.

Before the machine sputtered dead, Alphys's voice came through. She only managed to say the words,  
"your son," before the machine was kaput. 

"You won't take him away." Iredox growled at the broken machine. He threw it away and wandered off.

Alphys growled, frustrated.   
"Who does he think he is?! We just wanna help the baby you refuse to help!" She yelled.

"Good thing I'm here, then." Habriel said. "Alphys, I'll take the formula."

"Wait, that's not a good idea," She said hastily. "You might run into him on your way there."

"I know the risks." Habriel said. "I'm not letting that child starve to death, though." He shook his head. "My minds made up."

"What if I go?" Sans offered. "I can just teleport there and teleport back in a jiffy. No trip needed."

"You know the coordinates?" Habriel asked.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.   
"Now I do," He winked. "So... you wanna do it, or should I?  
It shouldn't take that long since I've got shortcuts..."

"I'll be backup, I guess." Habriel said. Ready to save Charabdyss.

Alphys grabbed a bottle she kept in a cabinet and prepared the formula for them, handing it to the skeleton.  
"Alright, kid, we'll go together," Sans nodded. Habriel held onto him and they teleported a few feet away from the baby.

"This is messed up on so many levels..." Habriel said. "How could someone leave their kid out here like this?"

"I mean, it sounded for a second like Iredox cared," Sans recalled. They walked over to the baby and peered over at him. Sans had the bottle in his right hand, and he gently knelt down beside the infant, ready to feed him.

Habriel turned around and gasped. Pushing Sans and grabbing the baby. Avoiding the tentacles coming from behind. Iredox started to scream as he ran towards Habriel. Ready to kill the boy.

Sans formed a cage of bones around the fish monster quickly, keeping him there.  
"Easy, pal. Came to help out the little guy," He stated, holding up the bottle.

Iredox opened his mouth and a cloud of poison came out. Habriel rushed over to Sans and handed him the baby before using magic to drive away the poison cloud. Iredox went through the bones. He didn't care about getting hurt. He just wanted Habriel dead. He chased after the boy further in the cave away from Sans.

'crap,' thought the skeleton. He stood holding the baby, hearing Iredox rampage through the tunnels towards Habriel. He teleported into Alphys' lab, set the infant down on a table and teleported beside Habriel as he ran from the mad fish monster.

"You should never have gotten involved!" Iredox snarled as he punched a pillar so hard, a large chunk went flying at Habriel. He rolled out of the way. Barely dodging it.

"I had to!" Habriel shouted.

"No!" Iredox shouted while ploughing through any debris. "You chose to!"

"dude, he's really weak and you've clearly done nothing," Sans stated while he and Habriel dodged his attacks.   
"you're telling us that he would've been better off if we'd done nothing? he was too frail to be healthy."

"You're lying!" Iredox shouted. "You tried to trap me! Both of you!"

"Didn't plan anything!" Habriel snapped as he threw a violet knife. It landed right in the eye of the monster who screamed in pain as he ripped it out and snarled at the child.

"trap you? we were hoping we wouldn't see you," Sans scoffed, forming more bones in the monster's wake.  
"we just wanted to feed him 'cause he's so weak now and we didn't think you'd come back to care for him. it seemed like you left him for good."

"I look at you and see both my parents." Habriel said. "Taking that poor kid from you is a blessing."

"Shut up!" Iredox released more tentacles, wrapping them around boulders and started swinging the boulders in all directions.

"caring for the kid would've gotten you out of this," Sans huffed, shielding himself from flying debris.  
"or just letting us help care for 'im. he looks like me he's so thin," Sans went on.

Iredox had simply screamed in response. If there was any sanity left in the monster, it was gone now.

"i wonder where the mistress is," Sans questioned out loud as he and Habriel avoided more flying  
rocks from the boulders the monster tossed.  
"we should get back, kid," the skeleton called to Habriel.

Iredox punched a hole through the cave. Opening to a lake. One of the tentacles wrapped around Habriel's ankles and threw him out of the cave and into the lake where Iredox proceeded to jump down in pursuit.

Sans shook his head and teleported underwater, grabbing onto Habriel.  
He hit away Iredox's tentacles and they used a shortcut back to the lab in an instant,  
sending them sprawling to the tile floor.

Habriel coughed as he was helped up by Sans. "Thanks." Habriel said, soaking wet. 

When they stood, they saw that Charabdyss was re-wrapped up in blankets and they said they already fed him some of the formula. They had been waiting for them to return, sure that they had encountered Charabdyss's father, but they couldn't watch any of it for the lack of cameras there.

Charabdyss was in Toriel's arms as she hummed a lullaby for the little infant. 

Habriel took off his wet cloak. "Iredox lost his mind..." he said.

"What do we do? We can't keep him, unfortunately, and we especially can't keep him here," Toriel sighed, rocking the baby gently in her arms. Alphys flipped through her monitors feed to see if she could catch the father on the move, but he must have still been in the Waterfall area. She couldn't pinpoint his location.

"I-I have an idea..." Alphys said. "Perhaps Un-Undyne and I can take care of him."

"But Iredox and his partner would go after you," The king said, looking at the little monster in Toriel's care.  
"How would that work? If Sans and Habriel can't beat him, I worry that you and Undyne wouldn't be strong enough either."

"It's not that we couldn't beat him." Habriel said. "Sans and I just wanted to get out of there. Besides, Undyne beat him multiple times before and knows him better than the rest of us."

"W-well, we can keep him here until we decide," The lizard scientist piped in.  
"I wouldn't mind, and I don't think Undyne would either," She told them while texting her girlfriend over her phone. She was updating her on what was going on.

"Alright..." Asgore nodded his head.

"We still have a problem." Habriel said. "Iredox is still out there and needs to be dealt with."

"It wouldn't be wise just to go back out to face him like this again," Flowey stated quickly.  
"That would be foolish and dangerous. We need someone stronger as an ally, or something to bolster your strength."

"We gotta come up with a plan..." Habriel sighed as he got up. "Hey, Alphys, do you have a room where I can change?"

"Oh s-sure," The scientist led him to a separate room and respectfully shut the door.

"Thanks." Habriel said as the door shut. A couple minutes later he emerged wearing a pear of sweat pants and shoes. "All my shirts got ruined." he said. "Sorry."

"kid, I can get you a spare," Sans offered.

"Thanks." Habriel said, sitting down on a chair. He smiled at Marion. "I guess one good thing about having a new body involves not having all this anymore, huh?" he chuckled.

"Habriel, how do you know?" Frisk asked.

"Let's not talk about that!" Habriel's voice cracked.

Sans appeared in the lab with another shirt and handed it to Habriel.  
"You need more shirts, kid," Sans laughed.

"Yeah, thanks." Habriel said as he put it on. Glad he avoided the talk with Frisk.

"Since Iredox's in Waterfall, I can return you guys to the ruins if you think it'd be a good time,"  
Sans said. "I mean, ya never know what'll happen, but I don't know what you guys want."

"What do you think?" Habriel asked, turning to Toriel. "Its your call."

She exhaled slowly, trying to think of what would be the most safe for them all.  
"Maybe, if they would like, Chara and Flowey can stay with Asgore temporarily, and you, Frisk, and Marion can return home with me."

"alright." Sans said. "grab onto me." Toriel and her three children did so and soon enough, they were back inside the ruins, safe and sound. Just the way they left it. 

"Thank you, Sans," Toriel smiled and he winked.  
"Anytime," He said, and disappeared. He appeared beside the king and other children.  
"I can bring you guys back to the castle, too, if you want."

"Thank you, Sans." Asgore said as he grabbed onto Sans with his two children. The smiling skeleton took them back inside the castle, safe and secure. 

Sans shot Alphys a goodbye text and saluted the king, teleporting back into his own house. Alphys and Undyne continued their conversation on the phone, the scientist cradling the baby in her arms.

Tired, Habriel sat down on the couch and pulled out the book. Finding that a good way to relax after the tough day. 

Toriel sat on her armchair in the living room by the fireplace, sitting with Frisk.

Marion had turned on the TV, looking for some interesting anime to watch. All that was playing was the MTT news reporting on everything about Iredox.

Chara, Flowey, and Asgore sat together in the castle watching the television. They thought about Charabdyss and how his parents were reckless and irresponsible when caring for him. They hoped that Alphys and Undyne would be up to the challenge of protecting and caring for him.

Undyne soon came into the lab to check on Alphys and Charabdyss. The little infant continued to suck out of the formula bottle which Alphys was giving him. Undyne saw that the poor creature was far too small for its age. They took the blanket off the child to see his condition. The little thing was nothing but skin and bone, as that's all there seemed to be. They could see the ribs and collar bone of the child as he drank from the bottle. He was neglected by both Iredox and Scylla.


	32. Chapter 32

"H-he really needs this," Alphys murmured, looking at the baby's face.

"I know," Undyne answered in a low voice. "We should at least nurse him back to health before we do anything about his parents."

"W-well...his o-one parent..." Alphys muttered. "The mother i-is...w-well..." Alphys felt terrible for the little creature, and felt relieved that they came in time to save him. If they had taken any longer to find him, she preferred not to think about it.

"What, Alphy?" Undyne looked worriedly at her girlfriend.

"I know she's the one who beat Habriel..."

"W-well I d-don't really know what to do." Alphys said. "I'd rather not s-send him back to his f-father."

"We may have the little guy for a while," Undyne exhaled, looking at the baby's face and body.

"Let's try to help him first, then deal with his crazy parents. I think this is for the best."

Just then, Charabdyss started to whine a little while putting the bottle down. He seemed a little upset. Undyne gently picked him up and held him in her arms. "Oh, what's the matter baby fish?" Undyne asked, hugging the little guy and patting him on the back.

Alphys checked the monitor again on her wall for any signs of Charabdyss's parents, but still there was no trace of either of them. She really needed cameras in Waterfall, but she was afraid to go near the area for fear of running into the people she was trying to track.

She did however find one individual in Waterfall. Who seemed to be patrolling the area, making sure that no one left their homes. It was Kaizer. Walking around with his hands in his coat pockets.

She showed Undyne.

"You think he can help solve our Iredox problem?" She asked in a hopeful tone.

"Oh, absolutely!" Undyne said. "He's about as capable as I am at fighting. Although, I don't think he should do it alone."

"Maybe we c-can contact him sometime then," Alphys stated as she turned her attention away from the screen.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do to get him involved." Undyne said. Charabdyss started to whine again, Undyne held him out in front of her with a concerned look. "What's the matter, baby fish?" she asked. Not a moment later, Charabdyss vomited on the floor and some got onto Undyne's armor.

Both winced, Alphys got them towels to wipe them off, and Undyne still held him out in her arms.

"Maybe he's not used to the formula yet," Alphys wondered.

"Well, he's also a baby." Undyne said as she gently put him down. "That's pretty much what babies do."

"Dad, what do you think will happen to Iredox?"

Chara asked, turning to the king from the television screen.

"I'm not quite sure about what to do with Iredox." Asgore said. "Based on what I've seen. He seems to have gone completely insane."

"Will there be any way to incarcerate him again, or will more drastic measures have to be taken?" Flowey muttered, looking at the images on the screen.

"I would personally consider the later." Asgore said. "After all, look at how he escaped last time. If we imprison him again, we'll have to put some sort of mask on him to keep him from breathing that poison. Either that, or have all of the security wear gas masks."

"And it seems like the strongest metal won't hold him for long,"

Chara sighed, shaking her head. MTT news flashed images from the escape, and interviews with monsters that had heard about the incident.

"All thanks to the Determination he injected into himself..." Chara muttered. "But I wonder, if that'll ever backfire on him...."

"We'll just have to wait and see." Asgore muttered.

Undyne stayed over at the lab that night with Alphys and Charabdyss.

Chara and Flowey stayed at the castle for the first time in years with their father.

Habriel continued to read his book with Toriel after dinner. While Marion and Frisk watched TV.

"What do you think made Iredox like this in the first place?" Frisk asked Marion while commercials rolled on the TV.

"I don't get what can drive someone so far off the edge like that."

"Who knows?" Marion asked. "As much as I'd like to find out, I doubt he'll ever tell us."

"I hope the baby's okay," Frisk said quietly.

"I hope so, too..." Habriel muttered, turning to the next page in the book. "He'll be fine with Alphys and Undyne."

"As long as Iredox stays away from them," Toriel added.

"With him in the mix, nothing can get done, really."

"It's sad, really." Habriel said. "He cares about that poor kid about as much as last year's snow..."

"He seems more concerned with being captured than his son's life," Frisk stated.

They turned off the television, deciding not to watch anymore of the show that was on- no new information was being broadcast, so they didn't see the point.

"Mom, would you want me to help make dinner?" Habriel asked, noticing the family started to look hungry.

"It's fine, my child," Toriel smiled at the offer.

"What would everybody like to eat?"

"Wanna try some quiche?" Marion asked.

The mother got out a recipe book and set it down, getting a pair of reading glasses.

"Would you like that, my child? I can check to see if I have a recipe for one..."

She flipped through the pages to see if she could find what she was looking for.

"Yeah." Marion smiled. "Unless if you guys wanted something else..."

Habriel couldn't think of anything else. Her suggestion wasn't at all terrible.

"I'm willing to try it," Frisk smiled and jumped up, entering the kitchen.

"Alright," Toriel smiled and held the book open to a page with a quiche recipe on it that she thought they would enjoy. For a moment, she stood reading the instructions and ingredients, making sure she knew she had what she needed to make it.

"The one with the broccoli looks really good." Habriel said, pointing it out.

"I'll try to make that, then," Toriel smiled. "Just hope I have broccoli..." She checked

to see if she had any in the fridge, but there was none.

"I.. I'll have to go buy some quickly."

"Are you sure its safe out there?" Habriel asked. "I mean, Iredox is still out there."

"Well... I don't know. Maybe I can substitute the broccoli with spinach," She thought out loud.

"It's not a good idea to go out now..."

"I can go with that." Habriel smiled. "What do you guys think?"

"Sounds pretty good." Marion looked over at Frisk. "What do you think?"

"That's fine," They responded.

So Toriel set herself to make the quiche, hoping that it would turn out tasty for them.

"Oh, Habriel?" Frisk said. He turned to them to see them pull out a deck of cards. "You know that card game we played at the festival? I bought a deck."

"Wow, that's great!" Habriel gasped.

Back at the lab, Alphys and Undyne took turns caring for little Charabdyss while they did various tasks.

They certainly weren't going to take their gaze off him; who could know if something happened to him while they weren't looking?

The little thing started to enjoy their company. Smiling and giggling every time either one picked him up.

"I'm glad he's starting to perk up," Alphys smiled as she held him in her arms.

"It seemed like he'd never do this before. Probably because of where he was and his state of health..."

Charabdyss laughed as he grabbed onto Alphys' snout and gently squeezed it. Giggling to no end.

Undyne snickered, watching the infant play with her girlfriend.

Alphys chuckled.

"You like my nose?" She asked in a silly, nasal voice.

Charabdyss continued to giggle as he reached up and grabbed the snout. Alphys would make a honking sound every time he squeezed it which would make the baby giggle even more.

"I'm going to get used to this," Alphys said over to Undyne.

"I wonder if we can just... take care of him? Y'know, like p-parents?" She blushed.

"That sounds awesome!" Undyne exclaimed. Her eyes widened with excitement as she gave a large toothy grin.

"Ah...ah..suh" Charabdyss giggled.

"I think he's imitating you," Alphys grinned. "Is he trying to say 'awesome?'"

She held him up at eye level.

"Ahsuh!" Charabdyss smiled and exclaimed. Pointing at Alphys.

The women laughed again, thinking this baby was the most adorable creature they'd ever seen.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Toriel called everyone to the kitchen table once a delicious aroma wafted through the house.

Charabdyss reached out and tried to hug Alphys. Closing his eyes and smiling.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Everyone gathered around the table while Habriel and Frisk put their card game away.

They all sat around the table. The goat woman set down a rubber trivet at the center, then a tray holding the quiche she had made.

She cut the pie into four large pieces and handed one out to everyone. "I hope you all like it." She chirped. "I don't usually make quiche, so this was a new experience for me."

She settled down in her own chair and they each dug into their slices.

"Whoa, it's really good," Frisk chirped in their chair, smiling after swallowing a mouthful.

"You did an amazing job for your first time!" Habriel exclaimed as he took another bite

Toriel beamed; it pleased her that she was able to bake something other than her traditional pie that her children enjoyed. She liked it too.

She would usually make either a pot pie or a butterscotch. She was very satisfied with her experiment.

It was dinnertime at the castle, too.

Asgore had prepared his family a meal as well, still overjoyed that his children were back.

He prepared spaghetti and tea for everyone. He smiled as he watched Chara heartily consume it while Flowey underwent photosynthesis.

"Sorry, Dad," Flowey chuckled. "I wish I could eat that; it smells great."

The flower smiled apologetically.

"You don't have to apologize, Asriel." Asgore waved a hand. "You do what you have to, to stay healthy. Don't worry about me."

"I really would've liked to eat it, though," Flowey trailed off, watching Chara and Asgore finish

their food.

"So, Habriel..." Marion muttered. "I'm still a little confused with Seraph..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, he insults all of you without giving it a second thought." She explained. "Yet he helped you bring me back and is helping you learn your family history. It doesn't add up."

"I have a ridiculous theory." Habriel said. "It could all just be a gruff exterior." he shrugged. "Who knows?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was listening to your conversation," Frisk pointed out from another room, overhearing their talking. "He could be listening at any time."

"It doesn't matter if he is..." Habriel mutterd while taking another bite. "What's he gonna do? Insult me?"

Frisk peeked their head in the doorway, unamused.

"Just don't let him get to you," They reminded. "Sorry if it's annoying to hear. He's just a dummy that had no value for others and is trying to put that on you.

"He thinks he can drive a wedge between everyone." Habriel added. "He fails to realize its doing the opposite and making us unite even more..."

"I wonder where the heck he is?" Frisk asked in a sarcastic tone, tapping their foot on the floorboards.

"Probably walking around in circles, howling at the moon." Habriel sighed.

Frisk got out the deck of cards they had from earlier and held them up. "Wanna play more?"

They asked Habriel.

"Maybe when everyone's finished dinner." Habriel said. "It'll probably be after I help mom clean up."

"Okay! And I can help, too!" They smiled. Toriel thanked them for their kindness and consideration.

Everyone finished eating and they set to cleaning the table.

Habriel washed all the dishes and put them nearly back in their respectful places while Frisk wiped down the table.

"Thank you children for doing this for me," Toriel hugged them all, grinning.

"You're welcome." Habriel smiled. "Maybe we can continue reading the book after the card game."

"Let me know when you'd like to read," Toriel said, going over to her place by the fire.

Frisk brought out the cards. "Shall we play at the table?"

"Sure." Habriel said. Frisk pulled out the cards revealing all the characters in the Utak books and their stats in the game.

Toriel rested in her chair, listening to Habriel and Frisk play cards.

"What are you up to, Marion?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm just watching a movie." she said, turning around from the TV.

Toriel nodded and let her watch. She read a book while she waited for Habriel and Frisk's card game to come to some kind of close.

Habriel won the card game. Pulling out the Utadukeeus Cacles card. The best card in the game. Not only did the card have really high stats, but it gave the user the ability to summon to named dragons. The first being Odahviing, with decent stats. Also having the ability to send the strongest enemy range unit to the graveyard. While the second dragon was Durnehviir. This dragon had the same stats as Odahviing, but had a different ability. This one allowed the user to summon one melee unit called a "Wrathman" onto the field as well as two ranged units. One called a "Boneman" and the other a "Mistman".

Frisk's expression went from bad to worse; they looked completely devastated by Habriel's onslaught and just couldn't recover from it. They knew he had the game won. They just stopped and shook his hand solemnly.

"Don't worry." Habriel said. "I just got a lucky draw. I bet you'll win next game."

"Maybe just one more game," Frisk nodded and they put the cards back in a stack to shuffle them.

"Then you and Mom can read that book."

"Or better yet..." Habriel turned his head to Toriel. "Hey mom, wanna play a game with Frisk? I'm kind of beat and they wanna play again."

She stood from her spot and came over, sitting across Frisk cross-legged.

"Alright, my child, I'll play a round. Then we can read," She said, turning to Habriel. She took the deck of cards, finished shuffling them, and started the next game.

She looked down at the deck and saw she was playing with the Aldmeri Dominion faction. Looking down at her hand. She saw a few Thalmor soldiers, couple mages. One Thalmor hero card and one Neutral hero card. The Thalmor being Daijan and the neutral being Darhad.

Habriel sat down beside Marion at the television to watch the rest of the movie she was watching while the others played on the carpet.

Frisk taught Toriel everything there was to know about the game before they started. It was a little complicated, but Toriel managed to figure everything out.

They laughed while they played, trying their best to outdo each other each round.

\---------------------------

Dinner was over at the castle, and Chara helped her father clean up the table. Flowey remained on the table watching them.

Frisk had managed to win a very close game against their mother in the end who gracefully congratulated them.

They hugged and Frisk let their mother go off to read with Habriel as soon as he wasn't busy.

They went to their room to occupy themself with some drawing.

"Alright..." Habriel said as he reached up and grabbed the book. He sat it down between them and sat next to her. Excited to see what happens next.

"So, remind me, what was happening last time, my child?" Toriel asked

as she adjusted, sitting beside her son.

"I think we just found out his brother....you know..." Habriel recalled.

"Oh, right," Toriel nodded, looking at the pages visible as the book was held

face-up between their laps. "I had forgotten..."

"So what do you think of it so far?" Habriel asked. "What;s your opinion about the characters. I mean, they seem to kill a lot, yet they don't do it indiscriminately."

She shook her head. "I can't quite form an opinion on them yet, my child. I feel

I haven't read enough about them to get to know them enough."

"True enough." He said. They continued reading together as Marion got herself a glass of water from the kitchen and went back to the TV to watch some anime. She lowered the volume out of courtesy for her mom and boyfriend.

Frisk sat in their room by lamplight and drew on blank paper with various drawing utensils, humming. They drew with a yellow crayon to represent Alphys, putting small glasses at the bridge of the lizard's nose.

Marion had started watching Black Butler and seemed to have been dazed by Sebastian's charisma. Which amused Habriel to no end. He chuckled as she seemed to have stared at the screen all starry-eyed.

She was enraptured, especially when he stated he was 'one hell of a butler,' after managing to fix all the problems caused by Ciel's servants. She'd never seen a character like this, before.

"We could use one of his kind ourselves..." Habriel chuckled and whispered in Toriel's ear. "Maybe he could keep Iredox and the Cathedral away..."

"If possible, he'd try to keep Seraph away himself," Toriel chuckled, eyeing the show on the screen across the room. "That would be a pleasure to have at our disposal. Sadly, things like that don't really happen here."

"I mean we do have a demon, here..." Habriel chuckled. "She's just a little busy eyeing another of her kind. It might be a good thing he isn't around. She might leave me for him."

"Oh, don't be silly!" she snapped without turning.

"I'm only kidding." he smiled.

By now, Frisk's drawing had gone a long way from its humble beginnings- now, Alphys stood smiling on the left side of the page holding the hand of her taller, blue-colored fish girlfriend. In Undyne's other hand, she held a tall blue spear. Beside them, Frisk had drawn a sparkly, anime-eyed Mettaton. They laughed to themself about their drawing.

It looked even better than the one they drew for Habriel and Marion. Alphys, Undyne and Mettaton all stood over a cliff somewhere in the Underground.

The fabulous robot held a microphone up to his face and posed like a superstar. They took a yellow crayon to add stage lights down by his feet- yes they were on a cliff somewhere else, but in their mind, Mettaton basically never escaped the spotlight.

They smiled as they went back downstairs and hung that on the fridge, too. Walking into the living room, they saw Habriel and Toriel reading their book while Marion watched anime.

They trotted over quickly and plopped down beside Marion, hoping she wouldn't mind.

They wanted to watch Black Butler, too.

"Want me to get you a drink or a snack?" Marion offered.

"No, thank you," Frisk smiled from the offer. They watched the show together while the others read.

Meanwhile in Waterfall. A voice message was playing somewhere in the tunnels.

"Hey Dad." a female voice said. "I'm just calling because I checked the news and I know you're gonna be out there being the hero....its just...be careful, okay? I know we didn't get along for the past few months and only just started to talk again. So please, be careful. But to end this on a happier note. I asked him out and he said yes. Anyway, Dad....I'll talk to you later. Love you." A deep druff voice sighed as he shut off his phone and put his hands in his coat pockets. Off to find the insane monster causing so much trouble.

The end of an episode of Black Butler came and went. Marion and Frisk ended up watching multiple in a row.

The skeleton slowly made his way throughout the tunnels. With no cameras or drones to watch him and help him on this perilous mission which he gave himself. If there was no way to capture Iredox, then there was only one thing for Kaizer to do. No one was aware he was on this mission and would assume he's only patrolling.

Gerson gave the skeleton a warm hello from his shop as he went by. He watched calmly as the serious skeleton went on his way past, off to do some serious thing like usual.

He knew what had to be done. If no one else was gonna say it, then he would. Iredox was out of control and had to be put down. If he was the one who had to do it. Then, so be it.

He walked through the dark caverns lit by the dimly glowing mushrooms on either side of the path, past Temmie Village. He could hear the funny voices of the Tems conversing outside and the one in its shop, waiting for its next customer to come along.

Passing by Temmie village, Alphys saw him on the cameras and saw he was heading towards where Iredox was last seen.

"Oh boy," She tapped into the camera's mic and tried to get his attention.  
"Pssst. Kaizer," She whispered from the speaker. "Kaizer, it's Alphys."

"Yeah?" he asked, walking up to the camera.

"Are you going to f-find Iredox?" She whispered urgently, knowing his plan already.  
"You think you can take him on?"

"Yes, I'm gonna fight him." Kaizer said. "He won't hurt anyone ever again." Both Alphys and Undyne heard that.

"D-do you at least have something with you to heal?" The scientist asked.

"I have some food, yes." Kaizer said. "We'll see how well I do against him and his Determination syringes."

"A-alright, but remember that there are no cameras there," Alphys warned, turning off the speaker.

He nodded his head and proceeded into the tunnels. Off to find the mad criminal.

He hadn't seen or heard anything yet from the criminal... things were quiet for the time being. He wondered where he was.

"Think I should deploy a drone?" Alphys asked. "Or maybe give you some food to help him?"

Undyne shrugged. "Dunno. Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Well, I don't see why he should have to do this alone. If that's what you mean." Alphys shrugged. "I mean, isn't standard procedure to have backup?"

"He seemed to want to do it alone, though," Undyne sighed.

"A-alright..." Alphys said. "I j-just hope he doesn't get hurt..."

"I'll go check it out soon, I just want to wait and respect his motives."

The skeleton slowly made his way down the tunnels. Hearing the ramblings of a deep, gruff voice. 

"They took him from me...." the voice said. "They'll suffer..."

'Sounds like him,' Kaizer thought to himself as he stepped quietly towards the source of the noise.

Iredox saw him enter the tunnels and turned around with a menacing snarl. Kaizer chuckled quietly in response. "Heh...you look like shit." he said as he looked at the monster who towered over him. "But that's okay. You won't have to worry about it soon enough..." his eye sockets began to glow a vibrant green as Iredox slowly approached him. Their battle, about to begin.  
"I don't think this will go well," Alphys mumbled.

"What do you think we should do?" Undyne asked.

The scientist sighed. "Well I can't fight at all, so I'd stay here and watch Charabdyss," She explained.  
"But I'm worried about you joining Kaizer in that fight. Not that you aren't a skilled fighter," She blushed.

"I'll be fine, Alph." Undyne grinned. "I beat that loser a million times."

Alphys sighed.  
"Alright, if you think you should go, go." Alphys stayed by the baby.

Undyne patted her girlfriend on the shoulder with a smile as she put the rest of her armor on. "Kaizer and I will beat him without even breaking a sweat. Just watch."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Kaizer's spectral hand punched Kaizer through a wall and out into a lake within Waterfall. The monster had dust in his one good eye so he pulled out a Determination syringe and injected it into what was left of his tongue. Kaizer watched from above as pink sludge poured out of Iredox's mouth. The giant monster groveled in pain. 

Kaizer didn't quite understand what the Determination was doing for Iredox at the moment, but he wasn't going to wait much longer to find out. And soon enough, he was joined by Undyne at his side.

Iredox used water to get all the dust out of his eye. His mouth, still leaking pink foam. He looked up and saw the two together and growled. Stepping into the pool of water, he started to grow larger and larger. It was another trick up his sleeve.

"What did he do?" Undyne asked the skeleton next to her.  
"How is he growing?"  
"He took more Determination," Kaizer answered, not taking his eyes off the fish monster.

"Determination can do that?" She asked.

"I doubt it." Kaizer shook his head. "What I meant to say is that he injected himself with the Determination to try to heal his tongue. However, it backfired and now its melting. He's probably doing this trick with the water to make up for it."

"He thinks he looks tough," Undyne muttered, forming spears. She was readying herself to throw them at the ballooning fish monster standing in the water.

"He just made us a bigger target..." Kaizer growled as he threw a bone spear. It hit Iredox in the abdomen.

Undyne began to launch her spears at Iredox's abdomen after Kaizer did, trying to overpower him while he was occupied. She couldn't tell if it was working or not.

Iredox used his arm as a shield. Letting it get impaled by every spear as he charged towards them.

Undyne threw herself and Kaizer out of the way just in time, knocking both of them over as they avoided Iredox while he barrelled through.

He swung the arm with the spears at them. Using all the new piercings as a weapon.

Undyne blocked the attack with another spear of her own, swinging it towards the arm to counteract the impact.

Kaizer used a large spectral hand to grab Iredox and throw him away from the two warriors.

Iredox crashed back down into the water behind him where he previously stood. Undyne and Kaizer took the time to get back on their feet.

"You okay?" Kaizer asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Undyne grunted, barely recovering from Iredox's last attacks. "He's tougher than I remember."

"We've gotta take him down." Kaizer thought aloud. "The Determination is too much."

Iredox soon got up again, standing in the rippling water, infuriated.

Kaizer jumped down, ready to continue the fight as he threw a bone spear at the large monster.

The monster hissed and blocked the spear, hitting it away with his forearm. It clattered to the ground before disappearing. Undyne readied more spears of hers.

She launched a barrage of spears as Kaizer used his large spectral hand to clash with the monster.

Iredox threatened to spew more venomous vapor at the pair again.

Undyne took out the antidote and handed it to Kaizer before she took it herself.

The hazardous venom wafted out of Iredox's maw towards the two as he prepared for his next onslaught.

He charged through the venom at them. Too impatient to let the posion hurt them.

Undyne slashed at his midsection as he charged forward at them. Kaizer moved sideways to avoid Iredox, preparing bones for his next defense.

Countless bones shot from the ground and knocked Kaizer into the air. Where a spectral hand punched him, sending him flying further in the Waterfall. He landed in a memorable part of the Waterfall. A ledge leading to what used to be the outskirts of a long foregone city.

Undyne ran forward, following his form with a spear in hand.  
She was beginning to lose confidence that they would be able to defeat him. He was much stronger than before, and she underestimated his strength.

Iredox tried to get up and wiped off what he thought to be sweat. He stared in horror as he realized that he swiped droplets of his body. Leaking onto the ground beneath his feet. 

Undyne skidded to a horrified halt a few feet away from him; it seemed that he was melting before her eyes. She stood there, staring at him.

Kaizer slowly approached the melting monster and sighed. "Monsters were never meant to have so much Determination." he said. "Only humans like Frisk and Habriel could use those syringes without the side affects. At least that's what I read from Alphys' archives she released not too long ago."

The pitiable creature gazed at its enemies with eyes full of unending hatred. He couldn't do much else from that point on. They stood together, watching Iredox.

Kaizer sighed. "You know..." Kaizer approached the monster who was turning into a puddle. "I've read about you and your father. I guess I could understand why you'd not be a fan of Asgore. Or maybe you spent all this time looking for someone to put you down." He shrugged. "What's it matter at this point?"

The monster stared up at Kaizer as he spoke. The melting rendered him unable to speak properly; he gurgled horribly in response to the skeleton's statement. Undyne grimaced.

"Its sad...." Kaizer shook his head. "You could have been so much more..." the puddle leaked out and fell over the edge into the abyss. The skeleton stood up. "Some people don't get a chance of redemption in their lives. Which is why they look to others so much. You'll get yours...from a monster named Charabdyss."

"It's a shame he couldn't take care of Charabdyss," Undyne remarked, looking after the remnants of Iredox fell into the abyss below. "His own son. He just couldn't do it. I wonder what made him like that? It makes no sense. If he cared so much, he would have been a better parent."

"He was locked up for a few days." Kaizer sighed. "There was no way he could have fed Charabdyss in all that time. On top of that, we sort of took the baby before he even had a chance to see him..."

"That doesn't explain how he didn't care for him before those events. He had plenty of time before being locked up to care for Charabdyss... so why when we found him was he already emaciated?"

"Iredox wasn't a rational individual..." Kaizer said. "I can't really tell you what was going on in his head. He mostly followed his violent impulses."

"I guess we're done with this mission," Undyne sighed.  
"We didn't have to do much after all... it's kind of a shame, really."

"This could have been much worse than how it turned out..." Kaizer sighed. "But yeah, we should head back and report what happened."

They went and told Alphys what happened with the monster since she had no cameras to watch their fight.

"What will you do with Charabdyss?" Kaizer asked. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Toriel's phone went off while she was reading with Habriel. It was a message from Alphys.

'Kaizer went to face Iredox.' it said. 'That brute won't hurt anyone ever again.'

"Oh?" Toriel picked up her phone to text back.  
'What do you mean? He's gone?' She asked Alphys. 'Yeah,' Alphys typed back to her. 'They already finished up.'  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We're probably just going to raise him like he should have been raised," Undyne answered. "Like... his parents."

'Iredox took too much Determination.' Alphys went on. 'I'm sure you know what happens afterwards...'

"Is that Alphys?" Habriel asked.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good luck to both of you." Kaizer nodded his head to Undyne and walked away.

Undyne bid Kaizer goodbye and proceeded away from Waterfall back towards Hotland.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"Yes, it is," Toriel responded, texting Alphys back. 'It's a shame, but this will help us.'  
"She says Undyne and Kaizer finished off Iredox... he took too much Determination during the fight..."

"Woah..." Habriel leaned back, astonished. "I...honestly don't know how to feel. Sad that he couldn't be saved. Happy that he won't be hurting people anymore. Relieved that Charabdyss will have better care takers..."

"Yes... I feel the same way. At least the child has a good set of parents and a place to call home now... more than before." Toriel turned off her phone and put it back down, returning to the book.

"At least we won't be in so much danger in the Underground." Habriel said, looking for a positive consequence to this. He kept reading the book with his mother.

Undyne entered the lab exhausted. She slumped in a chair next to her girlfriend, who was holding Charabdyss.  
She went to sleep where she sat.

Charabdyss got excited by the sight of Undyne and started giggling in Alphys' arms.

Alphys smiled. "Aww, you really like Undyne," She commented. "We better let her sleep, though. She must be really tired."

Charabdyss giggled and hugged Alphys. Closing his eyes, smiling.

They all slept where they were. The worrying was over in regards to Charabdyss's father. He and those caring for him were now safe. Habriel and his family were safe now, too. 

A spectral hand reached over and touched Habriel's shoulder. It was Seraph, looking impatient.

Habriel stared. "What?"  
Toriel also turned to look at the specter standing there by them.

"You know what." Seraph growled. "You only beat one specter and have four to go. And since your demon girlfriend is back, she needs to learn to use her abilities."

"You're addressing this now? At this hour?" Habriel groaned, rolling his eyes. Toriel sighed.

"Yes, at this hour." Seraph said. "You think the Cathedral cares about what time it is when they're killing children? If you want to take them down, you need to be as dedicated as they are. That means stop goofing around and finish the job." He pointed at the portal.

"Psh. Like you care about those kids," Habriel huffed. "Alright, alright."   
Toriel bookmarked the page where they left off in the story and closed the book.

"I don't care." Seraph said. "What I'm saying is that you gotta be as dedicated as they are to getting work done. Screw up or drag this out and they will win."

"Fine." Habriel stood up, aggravated. "I'd do it, anyway."

"That attitude with goofing around is what got Marion killed." Seraph shook his head. Habriel raised a middle finger as he walked off in response.

Toriel decided it was time for her to go to bed. She wished Habriel a goodnight and retired to her room, leaving Habriel and Seraph alone for the night.

Habriel said goodnight to his mother before moving off to the portal. Ready for the next ancestor.

Tired, he walked out of the house and stepped through the portal to the other side to go to his next challenge. Seraph followed him through to the Cathedral.


	33. Chapter 33

"So who is this?" Habriel asked while stepping on the pentagram.

"This is Munkir." Seraph said. "A warlord who raided many cities and slaughtered countless people with his two maces. He was born a couple centuries after the monsters were sealed. Don't get too close to him, or he will kill you."

"But he can't kill me in this fight," Habriel stated. "He can only make me wake up. I'd just lose the battle."

"You know what I meant." Seraph shook his head. "Just get in there and die over and over until you figure out his fighting style..."

Habriel initiated the fight, making him fall into unconsciousness. Seraph followed his subconscious into the battle sequence just as he did the first time Habriel did this.

The warrior threw one mace which stuck into Habriel's gut. The young boy dropped to his knees, coughing blood. He looked up just in time to see the other mace get burried into his head. He woke up.

He gasped and stood for a moment, getting his bearings and regulating his breathing.  
"You gonna try again, or what?" Seraph asked impatiently. 

"Give me a second!" Habriel snapped. Trying to calm himself down.

He sighed and shook his head. "Alright."  
He prepared himself again and initiated his second fight, ready to begin avoiding the maces as soon as he awoke in the battle.

Munkir took full advantage of the chains. Swinging the maces from a distance, Habriel struggled to dodge them.

They landed right behind his heels as he sprinted away from them. Seraph was not pleased with Habriel's performance.   
"What are you doing?" The specter asked, agitated.

"How am I supposed to fight him?" Habriel asked. "If I get close to him, he'll easily kill me. Yet he's also doing this."

"Do you need help?" Seraph asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he watched Habriel flee from the flying maces. Munkir was relentless in his attacks.

"Just tell me which directions they're coming from!" Habriel snapped.

In a bored, annoyed tone, Seraph stated "Left, right, right behind you..."  
He wasn't much help in the end, and Habriel might have been better off without the extra noise.

"Seriously, you're not even trying!" Habriel snapped as one barely grazed him. Not a moment later, Munkir charged forward and headbutted Habriel. Knocking him backwards. Before the boy could get up, Munkir slammed the mace into the boy, waking him up.

The boy awoke in a rage, wanting nothing more than to get rid of this nuisance attached to his soul.  
"What is your problem?!" Habriel asked in a harsh voice. 

"You can't expect me to hold your hand for everything..." Seraph shook his head. "You need to learn to be independent. Even if you manage to stop the Cathedral and get the human souls. I suggest you leave this family here right after. Unless if you want them to suffer."

"What?!" He glared at Seraph. "Everyone has a family, and that doesn't hinder one's independence. Not like it should matter to you at all," He stated indignantly.

"Not you." Seraph said. "You don't have a family. Your sister and mother are dead and your father wants to kill you. And like I said, unless if you want those ignorant slaves to continue to suffer..." Seraph pointed at the ruins. "I suggest you cut ties with them as soon as possible. You and I both know there is no getting rid of me."

"They are not slaves!" Habriel yelled through gritted teeth, clearly seething at the specter.  
"They are the farthest things from slaves! They are more than you'll ever be!" His voice was rising higher and higher; it seemed like his blood would come to a boil.

"Foolish boy." Seraph shook his head. "All seven of the wizards ruled a Kingdom, including me. We all united against the monsters and were an unstoppable force."

"And look at you, now...." Habriel chuckled darkly. 

"Seems like it was all for naught, wasn't it?" Habriel continued, trying to taunt Seraph back. He wasn't going to back down from this. 

"Remember the time you mocked my mom for not being queen anymore..." he went on. "Oh....I can't wait to tell her what I've learned tonight. She only left that life. You...it was taken from you, wasn't it?" Habriel smiled devilishly. Seraph was silent. 

Habriel turned his attention back to the matter at hand.  
"Alright, let's try this again..."

Seraph silently floated away. As if he was lost in thought. 

'I can do this without him,' Habriel thought to himself as he lost consciousness, about to duke it out with Munkir again. He was getting tired of this, but knew he needed to do it, with or without help.

Habriel continued to struggle dodging the maces. Making sure to keep a good distance from the warrior. It was at this moment when he asked himself. 'Can I really do this alone?'

Seraph still floated off elsewhere, not paying attention to the fighting. He was preoccupied. Habriel lost once again, hit by both maces in his torso as he ran. He awoke, looking around for Seraph.

Seraph had disappeared, leaving Habriel alone for the night. The boy sighed, realizing that they were both stressed out and needed rest. 'Maybe some other night.' he thought. 

Disappointed and exhausted, he walked out through the portal back towards home for the night. He spent way longer than he anticipated trying to beat Munkir and decided it would be best to leave it for another time.

He slowly made his way back in the house, exhausted. He trudged his feet into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water.

He remembered that his mother and the others had already been sleeping for hours by the time he returned. All was quiet in the house.

He kept quiet as he went upstairs into his room. Quietly changing into more comfortable clothes and finally laying in bed. 

Seraph had floated away from the house out towards the fields beside Snowdin, floating just above the snowy ground. He wasn't going to talk to Habriel for a long while for what he said.

Not that this was a bad thing. To be quite honest, everyone could take a break from the specter. and vise versa. Perhaps, everyone could use some time to relax and forget the world's problems. Just for a short amount of time. 

Habriel was out cold until the morning. When he woke up, he was reminded of the absence of his annoying specter by the peaceful silence that greeted him.

He had gotten up, and slowly trudged his feet downstairs. Making himself a cup of coffee and a cup of water.

'Pfft. I wonder where Seraph ended up during his tantrum?' He thought to himself as he sat down in the quiet with his drinks, looking out a window.

'I would feel sorry for him if he wasn't such a massive dick.' Habriel thought as he took a sip of his coffee.

'I guess I gotta go back to that brat sometime,' Seraph thought to himself reluctantly. He didn't want to return to the ruins to see the person he'd been fighting with the previous night. Neither of them liked each other, which was all too evident.

'No, you know what?' Seraph thought. 'Screw him. He can do it all on his own.' He continued to float around aimlessly.

Habriel stayed in the kitchen, waiting for the rest of his family to wake up and come into the room.  
'It's really nice without Seraph,' He kept thinking. 'I could get used to this. I almost feel like a normal person, in fact.'

"Woah!" a bright voice gasped. Ruining the specter's mood. He turned to see Monster Kid, staring in awe. "YOU LOOK SO FRICKIN' COOL!" Monster Kid exclaimed.

Seraph looked behind and around him, not sure if the monster child was addressing him or not. He didn't know how to feel. He pointed at himself, raising an eyebrow.

The kid nodded his head in excitement, eyes sparkling and jaw agape. "Yeah...I'm cool..." Seraph sighed in a mocking tone. "Now, run along, boy...I've got things to do."

The light in Monster Kid's eyes dimmed at the sarcastic retort by the specter. He frowned, staring at the rude form.  
"What's that supposed to mean? It was just a compliment," He stated.

"Mhmmm..." Seraph shook his head. "And I suppose you're wondering why I find it irritating that someone finds it much more important to point out how I look than to wonder how this even happened to me. I'm sure you've already figured out that I'm no monster."

The kid stared at him, bewildered and annoyed.   
"Yeah... thought you'd take the comment much more differently," He answered, eyeing the specter strangely. Seraph could tell by now that the child was more disturbed and creeped out by him than interested in talking. Monster Kid watched him and moved to start walking away.

"Tell me, young one." Seraph said. "What if your whole life, you spent being alienated by everyone you'll ever know. What if half of the village you live in calls you trash for being a different race? Like the monsters who lived in my village. Oh, all the times they enjoyed beating on me when I was a harmless little boy like you. And the other half of the village would call you a freak for being different? The humans in my village did the same. What if no matter what you did for those you cared about didn't matter? What if, no matter how hard you worked, it would be all for nothing? Because you're nothing but a wild beast in their eyes? Because of that, I ended up 'looking so cool.'" he pointed out his spectral form. "But I'm sure you wouldn't care. Because after all, 'I look so cool'...."

"You take compliments horribly," Monster Kid said in a low voice, lip quivering.  
"You know it wasn't meant as an insult yet here you are, verbally beating on a kid just like the people you talk about." He ran away.

"Whatever...." Seraph waved it off and continued about his business. If there was one thing that someone could take from Seraph's speech. It was showing that he never had any real upbringing. He doesn't really know how to behave.

Monster Kid knew not to cross or interact at all with Seraph from then on. He avoided the salty specter at all costs. His feelings were hurt and he feared Seraph.

The specter was lucky that Habriel wasn't there to see the entire thing. Otherwise, he would probably have tried to figure out how to kill a specter.

As Monster Kid ran past Undyne's house, the fish monster spotted the small child running and came out to see what was going on. She called to him, making him stop.

"Kid?" Undyne said. "Kid!" She caught up to him and knelt down in front of him. "What's the matter, buddy? You look upset."

"Have you ever seen a weird, floaty guy?" Kid proceeded to perfectly describe Seraph to Undyne, who recognized him immediately. She rolled her eyes.  
"Oh, yeah. What did he do?"  
"Well, I said he looked cool, and he pretty much started to yell at me about how dumb I am for not wondering why he looks like that."

Undyne groaned and hid her face in the palm of her hands. "Don't listen to anything that weirdo's got to say, alright? He's all bark and no bite. And you know what? Next time I see Habriel, I'll ask him to give that specter a good one just for you. How's that sound?"

"What? He's related to Habriel?" Monster Kid asked, shocked.  
"What's he got to do with Habriel?" The child didn't realize that Seraph was linked to Habriel's soul.

"It's some complicated magic mumbo jumbo thing." Undyne said. "Anyway, they're linked and have to deal with each other. Best part about it is that Habriel can punch him in the face."

"Well, I wouldn't want Habriel to be in danger from me," Monster Kid reasoned. "It's alright. You guys don't have to do anything about it," He smiled at Undyne. "But thanks."

"Yeah, but why don't I tell Habriel what happened?" Undyne said, pulling out her phone. "That way it doesn't happen again, y'know?"

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Habriel squeezed his phone tightly at the sight of the text he got. Gritting his teeth and almost growling.

"Habriel, what's wrong?" Marion asked as she walked up to him.

"I am going to kill Seraph..." Habriel growled through his teeth.

She moved closer to look at the messages on the phone screen.  
"Oh boy, what happened?" She read Undyne's texts to him.

'Not sure if you can do anything about it.' Undyne's text said. 'But Seraph's getting a little outta control. MK came to me crying over something Seraph said to him.'

Marion shook her head, wondering what Habriel could do.  
"What could you do about it? I mean, if you do something to Seraph, he might take his anger out on Monster Kid in the end," She stated.

"He ain't doing that again, believe me." Habriel shook his head. "Not on my watch."

He started to text the fish monster back. Marion stood with him, watching their conversation play out.

'Is Kid okay?' Habriel asked. 'I'm gonna kill Seraph.'

'Yeah, he's fine, he's with me right now,' Undyne wrote back to him.   
'We don't know where Seraph is, though. Not anymore,' She added at the end, knowing that Habriel would want to know.

'I'd smack him, but shit splatters.' Habriel said. He was pissed. Just because Habriel got him good last night, doesn't mean he can go pick on everyone else.

'So what should I do?' Undyne messaged him.  
'We really need to find that specter so Kid can be safe, I think,' She stated. 'I just don't trust the situation.'

'The only one Seraph can physically hurt is me.' Habriel reminded Undyne. 'Maybe Kid can hang out with Frisk and if that specter shows himself, I'll show him what for.'

'Okay, maybe Kid can go over to you, or Frisk can come over here,' Undyne suggested to Habriel.

'I'll ask Toriel to see if she's okay with Kid coming over.' Habriel texted.

The conversation was put on hold as Habriel and Marion went into the house to talk to their mother.  
"Mom? Can Monster Kid come over to play with Frisk?" They asked her, to which she approved.

'Alright, Toriel says it's okay for Kid to come over.' Habriel texted Undyne.

In ten minutes, Undyne was at the house steps with Monster Kid.  
They greeted Habriel and Marion, who let them inside. "Thanks, guys," Kid smiled.

Habriel led Kid through the hallway and up the stairs where Frisk and Toriel were waiting for him in the kitchen. 

They greeted him with smiles and open arms. "Thank you, guys," He smiled at them.  
Toriel offered them snacks to eat while they hung out together and thanked Undyne for making sure he was safe, offering for the warrior to stay for some time as well.

Undyne, though happy with the offer. Politely declined as she was scheduled to patrol Waterfall today. 

"Alright, well, goodbye," Toriel watched Undyne leave, waving as she walked away.   
"What do you wanna do?" Frisk asked Monster Kid. "We have board games, video games, paper to draw..."

"We can watch TV!" Monster kid got excited. "I would play games, but...well.." he showed that he had no arms. 

"Oh, right," Frisk apologized and took out the TV remote, turning it on.  
"What would you like to watch?"

"We can watch anime!" Kid suggested, all excited. 

"Okay, let's see here," They checked the guide to see if there were any animes running now or soon, but they couldn't find much.

They did manage to find an episode of Black Butler playing. Sebastian was being his usual self, showing off his amazing skills as a butler. 

"Oh, here," Frisk stopped flipping the channels when they found it.  
Grell was up to his usual antics, trying to get Sebastian to love him.  
They got themselves comfortable on the carpeted floor in front of the television.

Habriel went back to eating breakfast. Making sure to leave them alone. 

For a while, Frisk and Monster Kid watched Black Butler together. Eventually, after Habriel finished breakfast, Seraph made his way back towards the ruins.

Habriel went over to the couch and pulled out a book for himself. The same book him and his mother have been reading for a while.

Seraph was grumbling to himself as he floated towards the ruins, knowing that there'd most likely be a confrontation between him and Habriel as soon as they saw him.

"Wait...why am I going back?" He asked himself. "I don't feel like arguing with that stupid boy. I honestly liked the time I spent alone..."

"He should be left to do those battles on his own," Seraph added. "Serves him right."

Seraph turned around and went back out of the ruins into the Underground.

Toriel walked over to her son.  
"Seen that specter around at all lately?" She inquired, afraid that he indeed did. He shook his head. Seraph had not returned, nor did he even come near the ruins.

"Haven't seen him." Habriel said. "Maybe it's for the better..."

"Perhaps so, my child. It could be a blessing in disguise," She stated, smiling at the thought.  
"However, hopefully he doesn't run into any other unsuspecting monsters."

"Yeah, his look alone would just scare them away..." Habriel chuckled. "He gives even me nightmares..."

Toriel sighed and sat with her son. They read for a while as Frisk and Monster Kid spent their time watching shows and talking about life.

"I still have no idea what I'll be able to do when I head to the surface..." Habriel said. "Unless if that book has some sort of secret to beat the Cathedral, I'm stumped..."

"Did Seraph even help you with it in the first place?" Toriel asked, not knowing most of what would occur during Habriel's nightly visits through the portal outside the house.

"At first, yeah." Habriel said. "But last night, he wasn't any help what so ever. I died over and over and he was growing impatient. We ended up fighting, and going our separate ways."

She shook her head. "You think he'd come back to you, or will you have to find him when the time comes?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter." Habriel sighed. "We both need time away from each other."

"I wonder if any good will come out of this other than peace and quiet..." The goat mother sighed, looking out the window, wondering where the specter loomed now.

"A chance for both of us to blow off some steam." Habriel shrugged, still reading his book.

"He's really scary," Monster Kid turned upon hearing the two speaking of Seraph.  
"I didn't know you two were connected until I met him."

"Unfortunately, we're related..." Habriel sighed. "My human family's a mess...."

"If only some of your niceness rubbed off on him," Frisk said, wishing for something that they knew would never happen.

"Heh, I'm no angel." Habriel chuckled. "Far from it, actually..."

"You're 100 times better than him," Monster Kid agreed with Frisk. If Seraph was like Habriel, there'd be no issues in behavior.

"Heh, thanks." Habriel smiled.

Seraph floated all the way towards Hotland, wondering if he could get through the barrier near the castle.

The specter wandered around aimlessly. Completely bored with nothing to do. He couldn't toy with any monsters since he couldn't hurt them. The only person he could really hurt was Habriel. He wondered if he should attack the boy by surprise or not.

'He'd probably get his fake family to defend him,' Seraph thought, scowling.  
'That coward couldn't win against me in a fight.'

'I should kill those fools the next time I possess him.' Seraph thought. 'They're always getting in my way, anyway...'

Monster Kid stayed for a while longer, but then Undyne came back to escort him home in safety. Toriel thanked her again for her assistance and care for him. They departed shortly after.

"Alright..." Habriel got up and stretched his arms. "I think I'm gonna try to see if I can do this without him." Habriel said, heading out front towards the pentagram. 

"Come back to rest when you need to, and make sure you get sleep sometime," Toriel reminded him before he left the house to go to the portal.

"I get plenty of sleep." Habriel said. "It's just that my dreams involve me dying....a lot...." He thought about entering the portal, but went back into his house to change into something more practical. Pulling out his old black cloak, he threw it over himself. It was worn and tattered. "Geez...." he muttered. "I really need new equipment....."

"But I thought you couldn't use equipment during those types of battles," His mother pointed out.  
"Unless you're speaking about in general."

"In general." Habriel said. He pulled out his cloak and revealed the multiple holes it had thanks to previous battles. "Unless if you think I should go after the Cathedral in something that might as well be my pajamas at this point."

"My child, we can always get you new equipment during the day," Toriel said, taken aback by her son's sarcastic comment.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be rude there." he said as he noticed Toriel's change of tone. "I was just pointing this out."

"It's alright, my child," Toriel replied. "If you are tired tomorrow, I can get you some things if you'd prefer. Just let me know what you need if I should go out."

"This is something I think we'd have to do together if you want to do this for me." Habriel put a finger on his chin. As if he was in deep thought. "We can honestly do today, if you want. I've got a good while before it's night time and maybe I can find something better fitted for me." He shrugged. "It's still fresh in the morning, though and I don't want to take up all your plans for the day."

"We can go whenever you'd like," His mother decided. "We can search around in Snowdin. I'll bring Frisk to the skeletons' house while we're busy," She stated.

"Alright." Habriel nodded his head. "There's also something I want to do with Marion at some point, today as well."

"Another romantic date?" She giggled.

"Actually, I was thinking of more along the lines of training." Habriel said. "You have the body of a demon, so you should have some unique abilities and that is the original reason why I wanted Seraph to teach me how to summon one. Anyway, I need someone to come with me to fight the Cathedral and since I'm not comfortable with putting anyone else in danger, you're the perfect candidate. Especially since you don't actually die, anymore. I would just have to wait a day and you would re-appear." He looked down at his feet. "Not that I'd want to have that happen in the first place, though...." 

"It sounds reasonable," She responded, thinking the situation over.  
"I mean, we wouldn't want anyone here to get hurt while we do it," She reasoned. "So that sounds fine."

"Besides, I'm sure you definitely wanna go knock some heads, anyway." Habriel said.

"When it comes to the Cathedral, of course," Marion grinned in agreement.  
"Who wouldn't?"

Habriel chuckled and nodded his head as she got up. "Give me a minute." she said as she went upstairs to change into regular clothing. Habriel looked out the window, seeming to be lost in thought.

"Something on your mind?" Toriel asked, observing his trance. "Thinking about Seraph?"

"I'm nervous." Habriel said. "These people are extremely dangerous. Marion and I are the only ones going out to face them. We're capable fighters, but...."

She listened and waited for him to finish his thought. She was worried sick too, of course.

"But I've got the feeling that they're ready for us..." he said. "Waiting for us, in fact...."

The goat woman sighed.  
"It is certainly against a mother's better judgement to send her children to battle alone, let alone at all," She mumbled, half to herself, half to her son.

 

"Who do we send, though?" Habriel shrugged. "These people just can't be left alone to do what they want...."

He looked down and remembered the conversation he had with Seraph the night before. Specifically about Seraph suggesting he cut ties with this family if he doesn't want them to suffer.

"I understand, my child, that it means the world to you to eradicate these criminals. I just don't know who else might be able to assist you while Seraph refuses to help," Toriel stated helplessly.

"That book better have something..." Habriel muttered. "If that turns out to be a waste of time...." he sighed. "Seraph's been acting even more cruel than usual....he ugh, well...."

"What?" Toriel asked.

"Him and I had a fight last night over me and the family...." Habriel said. "He suggested that I should leave if I don't want to get any of you hurt, anymore....."

The monster's expression changed to a sullen melancholy at the words.  
"Ah... I..." She couldn't formulate a full sentence. "Well... do you trust Seraph's suggestion?" She asked warily.

"I don't know how to feel about it." Habriel admitted. "As cruel and messed up as he is. He has a point. Even if I do manage to stop the Cathedral and gather seven souls for Asriel, there's still the curse. You would all still just suffer with me around...."

"Habriel, your presence far outweighs anything Seraph can say to us or about us," Toriel said, hoping that he wouldn't take up Seraph's suggestion after all. "After all this time, don't you think it'd be harder on all of us if you two left...?"

"The curse is more than just him acting mean." Habriel said. "His power, how do I put this? It acts like a magnet, for the negative forces in this world. Like turning on hard mode for a video game. My life is in constant danger." He looked at her. "I hate having to see you all suffer just for me. Are you really willing to accept that? To live with that?"

"Habriel..." Toriel shook her head. "If you can live with it, then so can we." 

Habriel wasn't sure what to think about this. On one hand, it was touching that his family wanted to stay with and support him through his life, but on the other, it could be very dangerous.

"My child, you can't go through this by yourself." Toriel continued. "Yes, it'll make life difficult. But what difference would it really make when you put all of our lives into perspective? It wouldn't make sense to leave us when we can support each other. Besides, you haven't given any thought to the possibility of lifting it. Which we could all figure out together."

"I guess that's true... I just hope we can lift the curse," Habriel answered.

"I hope so, too." She approached him. "While you are a kind soul thinking about us, which I do appreciate. There is one more thing you seem to have forgotten. Monsters turn into incredibly powerful beings with human souls. From what Frisk explained. It took Asriel to absorb the equivalent of seven human souls to become himself again and destroy the barrier. Your curse at most is just as powerful as that. When Asriel is revived, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help you lift your curse."

Habriel looked up at her, astonished. "Y-you're right..." he gasped.

"Just you wait and see. We'll get rid of that curse and that nasty specter soon," Toriel winked, reassuring him.

Habriel smiled. "Thank you..." he muttered. 

"Shoulda ran while you could... know you'll be stuck with us," Frisk laughed evilly and made a menacing expression.

"Gonna make me your prisoner?" Habriel chuckled. "Subject me to pie and interrogations?"

Toriel chuckled. "That sounds like a poor TV show name."  
Frisk rubbed their hands together, imitating the motions of a stereotypical villain.

"I'd much rather have to deal with the villain here than up there." Habriel smiled. "After all, they're much easier." He started lightly tickling Frisk on their shoulder.

They jerked their arm away so violently that they threw themself forward, hitting the floor with their face. They landed with a thud.

"JESUS!" Habriel shot up and ran to them. "You okay!?" He knelt down, checking on them.

They pulled themself up, laughing.  
"Yeah, I'm just ticklish," They grinned. "That'll happen."

"Geez, you gave me a heart attack." Habriel sighed as he helped them up. "Got a lot of energy, huh?"

"Not really. I just try to avoid being tickled at all costs," They laughed.

"Yeah, not a bad idea..." Habriel said. "Bad enough for mom to have to worry about me and my big teenage rebellion."

Toriel chuckled. "Big teenage rebellion? You've been much better than the typical teenagers you hear about everywhere else."

"Well I am rebelling against my human dad." Habriel smiled and shrugged. "Does that count?"

"Not quite- he hasn't been in your life in any normal, decent sense, so it doesn't count. He's not really your 'dad,' perse, but your father," Toriel stated.

"It's funny, really..." Habriel shook his head. "Out of everyone I've ever met, especially in the Underground. The only monster I see....is him...."

"It's his fault, though," Frisk pointed out. "I mean, who does what he does? Nobody, unless they're completely nuts. It's not normal to do what your dad does."

"There's still one question I have for him...." Habriel muttered. "Why...."

"Well, with someone like him, I wouldn't count on that question being answered," His mother warned.  
"So don't go overexerting yourself just to get a final silent treatment from your father."

"I know...." Habriel looked down at the ground. Marion came back downstairs, all dressed. 

"Ready to go?" she asked. He looked up and nodded his head.

"To train, or get clothes?" Toriel asked.

"I think we should go out to get the equipment first." Habriel said. "Get that done and over with, y'know?"

"I'll buy it for you, my child,"Their mother smiled. "Just lead the way- we won't be gone for long, Frisk."

"Thank you." Habriel said. They all went out of the ruins and towards Snowdin.

Toriel shot Chara a text while they departed, telling her that they were leaving the house for a little while.  
"Dad, I'm going to stay with Frisk while Mom, Habriel, and Marion are out," Chara told the king.

"Stay safe!" Asgore chirped as they made their way out.

*********************************************************************************

"I'm sorry, m'am..." the monster bowed his head to Toriel. "We don't really have the equipment you seem to be describing. I wish we could help."

She sighed and looked to her son.  
"Perhaps we can get some materials and fabrics and I can sew you new clothes?" She suggested.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Chara opened the door and greeted Frisk, sitting down with them by a roaring fire. She was going to stay and wait until Toriel and the others returned from their shopping trip.

Toriel's phone went off. She got a text from Alphys. 'Shopping?' it said. 

'Yes.' Toriel texted back. 'We're looking for equipment for Habriel and Marion for their journey on the surface.'

'You must be looking for combat uniforms, then.' Alphys texted back. 'You should have told me from the start. I'll gladly make them, myself.'

"Oh!" Toriel showed her children the texts from Alphys. "You want her to do this for you?"

"Wow really!?" Habriel gasped, starry eyed. "Absolutely!"

Toriel thanked the sales clerk and they set off for the lab. Toriel texted Chara and Frisk to update them on what was going on.

They made it to the lab where Alphys was already having the machines build the suits for Marion and Habriel. "O-oh!" Alphys gasped. "Y-youre here!" She adjusted her glasses. "You see, I uh...like anime. There was this one about this heroic duo who fought crime and wore...  
well these suits here." Alphys showed images of the suits in the anime she was talking about. 

One was a large black military grade suit with a hooded white trench coat. The other also being a black military grade suit but with a small red jacket and headdress.

"Whoa, those look pretty cool," Habriel said, admiring the outfit designs. They were cool looking and at the same time, very functional for their purpose.

"Oh r-really?" Alphys adjusted her glasses again. "Th-thank you!"

"How long do you think it'll be before they're ready?" Toriel asked the scientist.

"I'd give it a couple hours." Alphys said. "They should be ready by lunch time. In the meantime..." Alphys looked over at her TV. "You guys wanna watch an anime."

"Sure," They smiled and joined her while they waited. 

Alphys flipped on the anime with the charavters she got the suits from. They were strong looking super heroes.

"Heh, I can see why you wanted to make these outfits," Marion remarked, watching the characters leap into the action valiantly onscreen.

"Y-yeah!" Alphys smiled. "I was originally making these for Undyne and Kaizer. But, I want you to have them."

"Thanks." Habriel said.

"What should we do today?" Flowey asked idly, sitting in his flower pot on a table by Asgore.

"Birds are singing, flowers are blooming." Asgore said. "Perfect weather for a game of catch." He sighed. "If only it were possible...."

"I can try to use magic," Flowey offered in a hopeful tone.

"Oh!" Asgore gasped. "Only if you want to. Don't worry about me."

"I'd like to try. It's worth a shot, even if it's not like a traditional game," Flowey said.

"Alright." Asgore smiled as he got up. "I'll be right back. I'm just getting the ball."

After a while, Alphys went to take out the suits, pausing the TV show.

"Alrighty...." Alphys said. "They're ready." she handed the suits to Habriel and Marion and showed them a room where they could change.

Soon, they each were back out having donned the new clothes, holding the old ones in their arms for the time being. Dr. Alphys beamed, looking all around them, seeing how the outfits fit them, making sure everything was as it should be.

Habriel emerged like a big super hero, with the white coat waving in the air dramatically, it made him look really cool and strong. He smiled at Alphys and his family. "What do you think?" He smiled.

"You look amazing, my child," Toriel smiled, admiring Alphys' handiwork and how it matched her son perfectly. Marion's outfit matched her, too.

"It feels....lighter...." Habriel said. "Even lighter and more flexible than my regular clothes." Habriel jumped forward and did a back flip to test it out. It worked perfectly as he threw punches and kicks in the air so fast the others couldn't see them. He was faster than ever, it was as if his old clothes weighed him down.

"Whoa, that's g-great!" Alphys clapped her hands together. "I guess this was a success."  
"What do we owe you, Doctor?" Toriel asked, turning to the lizard.  
"N-nothing," She said quickly.

"Really..." Alphys continued. "It's all in a day's work. Just do what you can to stop them."

"I will." Habriel smiled at her. "Alphys, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. You've saved my life so many times and helped us so much. There is no way I could ever repay you. I'm really glad we met and I'm proud to be your frie....no....family...."

Alphys hugged them hard. "Of c-course, you guys. You guys are the best."

"You are, too." Habriel said. "You didn't have to do any of this for us, yet you did anyway. I think of you as an older sister..." Habriel said.

"I'm glad! You guys are all welcome anytime."  
"We should get back to the house," Toriel reminded her children.

"Of course." Habriel said. "Thank you, Alphys. For everything...."

"You're welcome, Habriel. Good luck on the surface," She said as they headed towards the door to go.

They waved the scientist goodbye and were making their way back to the ruins.

Flowey grunted, failing to pick up the ball with his magic. He seemed to be beginning to get frustrated.

He resorted to using vines to pick it up instead, making it much easier.

"It would be better with hands," Flowey mumbled. "Sorry, Dad."

"It's alright, Asriel." Asgore waved his hands. "Take your time, we're in no rush."

When Toriel, Habriel, and Marion reached the house, they found Chara and Frisk sitting together playing a board game to pass the time. "Hey, guys," Chara waved.

"Sup." Habriel waved his hand with Marion by his side, they were both wearing their new outfits.

"Whoa! Where did you get those?" Frisk said, staring at the awesome craftsmanship.  
"Yeah, that's pretty amazing," Chara was admiring the outfits, too.

"Alphys made 'em." Habriel smiled. 

"Apparently, she's been working on these for a while." Marion said. 

"Wow! That's unbelievable," Frisk exclaimed, standing up and wandering around them in awe.  
"I wonder how long it took to make."

"She said they were originally meant for Undyne and Kaizer..." Marion shrugged. "So probably a while..."

"Oh, shouldn't we get to training?" Marion turned to Habriel suddenly, recalling their previous plans before they left.

"I have an idea..." Habriel said. "We could try to fight my ancestors together. Seraph was able to enter the dream at the same time I was. There's no reason why you, or anyone else can't as well..."

"Well, Seraph is a specter, but I guess we can try to do it at the same time," Marion replied.  
"Wanna go now?"

"Actually, let's see if we can get you to use your magic, first." Habriel said. "Then, we can worry about the tough fights ahead of us..."

"It's been so long since we've heard from Seraph," Toriel muttered idly while they discussed their training.  
"It's a pleasant surprise. When he returns, it would be slightly dreadful."

"You can always come with us if he does." Habriel offered. "We'll be dreaming and he won't wanna help us. I mean, you'll be fighting my ancestors, but still. Less stressful than talking to him..."

"Me? Fight your ancestors?" Toriel asked, surprised. "I don't know if I could possibly be of help with that, my child," She admitted.

"Well, we'll be there with you." Habriel said. "Just offering something to get away from him..."

"It's alright, my child, I can handle him," She assured them.   
"I might as well stay here with Chara and Frisk until you two get back."

"Alright, Marion and I will be out front, first." Habriel said. "When she gets a hang of her magic, we'll be fighting them."

"Good luck," They waved goodbye and went outside to train for a while.  
Toriel stayed inside with Chara and Frisk.

"Alright..." Habriel faced Marion. "Let's begin."

"What shall we start with?" Marion asked.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------  
Seraph floated about Waterfall now, wandering around, looking at the piles of trash piling up in the standing water. Humans disgusted him.

Half of the trash was from the monsters living nearby. They disgusted Seraph just as much as the monsters.

He found Mad Dummy, who was yelling away at floating driftwood in the corner. Seraph just floated on by.

"Pathetic..." The specter muttered. "Those beings always finding something to possess. Always so insecure...."

Mad Dummy paid the specter no mind, which was fine by him.   
By now, Seraph had seen most of the Underground there was to see.

He was floating around in hotland, now. Making it past the Sans who was at his hot dog stand.

'Ugh. It's that bothersome skeleton,' thought Seraph as he floated past.

Sans saw the specter float by as he chugged down some ketchup.

'Wonder what he's up to so far away from the ruins,' Sans thought to himself as he placed the ketchup bottle down on the wood stand.

The specter continued on. Passing by a couple monsters towards Muffet's den.

'I wonder how long I can stay away from that boy,' Seraph thought, passing through the dark tunnels. He passed by clusters of the glowing mushrooms.

He was in the spider den, now. Phasing through all the spider webs.

'This place is a dump,' he thought, scowling.

He was making his way to the lab, now. 'Wonder what that coward's up to, now.' he thought.

Habriel and Marion trained outside for a good while. Inside, Toriel spent her time cooking and talking to Chara and Frisk, asking how things were with Flowey, and whatnot.

"Weird, you obviously can't use the same magic as me..." Habriel said. Marion dodged all his attacks except for the last one. She tripped over it and scraped her arm with blood on the ground. "You okay!?" Habriel asked.

"Yeah I'm..." She went to wipe off the blood but it floated in the air around her. She waved her hand around and it seemed like she was in control of it. This demon was capable of blood magic.

"Whoa! Well, that's another thing you can do, I guess," Habriel watched her manipulate the blood droplets in midair with ease. She watched as well, floating them around.

She opened up her hand and more blood poured out of her arm. All of it congregating in her hand. Forming a blade extending from her forearm.

"Is that hurting you while you do it?" Habriel asked, concerned. They both eyed the blood blade with awe and wonderment.

"No...." she muttered. She walked over to the purple wall and swung the blade. It extended out and sliced through the wall effortlessly, making it fall apart.

Toriel came out to check on them upon hearing the ruckus the blade had caused.  
"Is everything alright?" She asked.

"Yeah...." Habriel said. He was staring in shock at what Marion did to the wall.

"What happened here?" Toriel stared at the damage Marion's blade had caused in one single swipe.

 

"I ugh...." Marion didn't know what to say. "My blood did this?"

"Your blood, my child?" Toriel stared still.  
"I don't quite understand..."

"See that blade?" Habriel pointed at her forearm. "That's made from her blood."

"Whoa," Toriel looked at the blade, then Marion, then the wall she utterly decimated.  
"I guess she's doing well," She said.

"Sorry..." Marion looked down at the ground. "I-I didn't mean to, it was an accident."

"It's fine, my child," Toriel sighed, chuckling.   
"It's not like you could ruin the ruins."

"Oh...okay..." Marion looked down at the ground. Habriel made his way over to comfort her and hug her. "It's okay." Habriel said. "Toriel won't do what she did. It won't happen again."

"What won't happen again?" Toriel asked.

"When she was a kid, she accidentally broke something valuable and her mother beat her." Habriel said. "We must have accidentally gave her a flash back."

"Oh, my child," Toriel tentatively moved to them, hugging them.  
"I would never do that, I love you both dearly."

Marion shivered, tears leaking down her cheeks. "We won't let it happen again." Habriel said. "I promise."

"I'm sorry, Marion," Toriel murmured, hugging her crying form.  
"I didn't mean to make you recall something painful. I would never do that to you."

"Don't blame yourself." Habriel murmured. "You didn't know and you didn't mean to." He was wiping her tears and she finally reached out and hugged Toriel.

"I...I'm so sorry..." she sniffled.

"My child, it is perfectly fine! It was just an accident, you didn't mean to do it... plus, not many monsters come here anyway, it'll be alright," She reassured the girl.

The girl cried into the mother's robes. Gripping them tightly. "I'm sorry..." she repeated.

She held her, stroking her back to soothe her.  
"It's okay, Marion."

Marion started to calm down a bit. However she still hugged Toriel tightly. "Thanks mom-" she gasped. She didn't expect to say that.

Toriel was not at all alarmed at her saying that.  
"What's wrong?" She asked the girl.

"I just never called you that before..." she said. "I didn't mean to...its just that." she sighed. "I don't know, you're more of a mom to Habriel and I than anyone else so...do you mind me calling you that?"

"Of course not," Toriel smiled at Marion, touched. 

Marion hugged her tightly. "Thanks, mom..." she said.

"You're welcome. Now, I'll let you two train some more," Toriel wiped the remaining tears from Marion's face and waved to them.

"Actually, can we take a break?" Marion asked. "I'm a little tired."  
"Sounds like a good idea." Habriel said.

They followed their mother back inside the house for some water and time to rest.


	34. Chapter 34

Habriel slumped down on the sofa, closing his eyes and taking a long winded sigh. Marion went inside and got herself a glass of water.

"You can always train more later," Toriel reminded them. "Remember, it's alright to need a break. We all have limits."

"Yup..." Habriel waved an arm. He was dead tired. Marion nodded her head while drinking the water.

Toriel busied herself once again in the kitchen, making sure she had enough ingredients for that nights dinner. She was trying something new tonight.

"Need help?" Habriel offered from the sofa. "I'll lend a hand in a minute if you want."

"Oh, no thank you, my child," Toriel smiled from the other room.  
"This meal is a bit easier to make than any pie. You'll see what it is at dinner," She hinted.

Frisk poked their head in the room to see what their mom was cooking. Habriel had fallen asleep on the sofa, but was quickly woken up by Marion as she came down in a red bathrobe.

"Habbie, take a shower." Marion pulled him off the couch. The young boy nodded his head as she helped him upstairs.

"Oh no, Mom," Frisk face-palmed. "Don't be like Papyrus."  
"Oh my child, it'll be fine, I know how to make this," Toriel reassured them. "I boiled the water this time."

"Sounds like spaghetti." Habriel whispered to Marion while heading towards the bathroom.

"Frisk, could you check the fridge to see if we have tomato sauce?" Toriel asked, and Frisk shuffled over dutifully and checked. "Yeah."

They lifted the thing and trudged their feet across the kitchen floor, breathing heavily and grunting as they brought it to their mother.

"Thank you," Toriel took the jar and set it on the counter beside her.  
"That's pretty heavy," Frisk commented after she took it.  
"Well, it's made of glass," Toriel responded.

"Oof..." Frisk rubbed their arm and sighed. "I had no idea glass was so heavy...."

"I'll pour you sauce when you need it," Toriel chuckled. "You don't have to hold that."

"Thanks mom!" Frisk smiled a toothy grin. Toriel leaned down and nuzzled them which made them giggle.

"I wonder if this will be a surprise to the others," The mother said absentmindedly.   
"I wonder if Chara and Flowey would like to come over to eat tonight?"

"I think Chara already left for the castle...." Frisk sighed. "OH! We can invite Sans and Papyrus!"

"Oh, right!" Toriel clapped her hands together and retrieved her cell phone to call them. She dialed their home phone and waited for them to answer.

"sup?" the smiling skeleton said. "oh, it's you, tori. hey, howya doin'?"

"Very good, Sans. I was calling to invite you and your brother over for dinner tonight, actually," Toriel answered.  
The skeleton could hear her smile over the phone.

"sure thing." Sans winked. "aye paps, we're headin over to tori's." 

"Wonderful," Toriel replied. Over the phone, she could hear Papyrus in the background exclaiming, "HOORAY! I WONDER WHAT LADY TORIEL IS COOKING?" She chuckled.

"let's find out." Sans grabbed his brother and took a shortcut to Toriel's house. They appeared in the kitchen in no time. "sup?" Sans winked. 

"Sans!" Toriel's hand was on her chest as if they surprised her. "At least hang up first!" She laughed.

"right." Sans held out his cell phone and hung up. "there ya go!" he winked.

Both chuckled.  
"HMMM... IT SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING I LIKE TO MAKE," Papyrus stated, squinting.  
"ARE YOU MAKING SPAGHETTI?" Toriel nodded.

Papyrus was ready to shriek with excitement. "WOWIE!" his eye sockets sparkled with his hands on his face.

"of course paps is going to love it," Sans said, watching his brother's excitement.  
Frisk came in and happily greeted the skeletons.

Habriel came downstairs, out of the shower in his bathrobe. Hair still kinda wet, with Marion by his side.

They heard all the noise, caused by a combination of greetings and Papyrus' yelling, and saw the skeleton guests in the kitchen.

"Hey guys." Habriel greeted the skeletons. "How're ya doing?"

"good," Sans smiled. "VERY GOOD, HABRIEL," Papyrus answered cheerfully.  
"ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE'RE HERE."

"Yeah, things aren't the same without the two of you." Habriel scratched the back of his head.

"Dinner will be ready soon, everyone," Toriel announced. "Make yourselves comfortable."

"Alright." Habriel grabbed the silverware and helped set up the table.

Frisk joined him in setting the table. Toriel carefully drained the pot of water, keeping the noodles inside.  
She checked the crock-pot and turned it off, knowing the contents would need to cool.  
She set out glasses of water for everyone but Sans; she gave him ketchup.

"aww, thanks tori." He winked and smiled. 

"You're welcome." She murmured and gave him a small kiss on the forehead.

The goat mother called everyone in, and they all sat together around the table. She brought the pot of pasta over and set it down on a central trivet and beside it, the crock-pot which held meatballs in sauce. She decided instead of pouring sauce from the jar, she'd already use it for the meatballs.

Everyone eyes the spaghetti and meatballs in awe. It looked really good.

"look, paps, the spaghetti is actually cooked," Sans winked, laughing. Papyrus would have fumed and yelled at his brother's remark, but he kept quiet, taking some on his plate.

"That's okay, Papyrus." Toriel winked. "I'll be more than happy to teach you how I make the spaghetti."

"THANK YOU, THAT WOULD BE GREAT," The tall skeleton replied, smiling at the generous offer.

"Thanks, mom." Habriel said. "It's really good."

"Yeah, you've really been experimenting lately." Marion said. "They're always delicious."

"I'm glad you all like it," Toriel blushed from the compliments.  
"I also made dessert, if anyone's interested."

"heh, can't wait." Sans said. "so uh....what's everyone been up to?"

"Not much," Frisk answered.  
"We've been busy training," Habriel responded, gesturing to himself and Marion.   
"It's about the Cathedral."

"And Seraph gave us something really hard to do if we wanna figure out a way to fight them." Habriel said. "As strong as Marion and I are, we'd get slaughtered by everyone in the Cathedral. Seraph said there's a book in the portal outside there that'll get me to know them better. With that, we can figure out a way to beat them. But in order to do that, we have to defeat these five really strong specters who pretend to be my ancestors."

"oh boy," Sans frowned. "that sounds like a lotta work..."

"It is..." Habriel shook his head. "But you know us...we always pull through, somehow..."

"well, good on ya for stickin' with it," Sans said. "you know what i'd do. sleep," he said, which made a few of them chuckle.

"Funny thing about that." Habriel said. "To fight the specters, you gotta do it in your sleep. Like, in a lucid dream."

"oh, so it's more like a lucid nightmare?" The small skeleton asked, raising an invisible brow.

"I guess." Habriel said. "Although the worst thing that happens is that you wake up. So that kinda takes the fear away. If anything, it gets infuriating with how easily my ancestors kill me..."

"well, at least it's not real," Sans replied.

"Yeah..." Habriel said. "I still feel the pain, I still feel it happening." He gripped his chest tightly. "You get this sudden rush of every emotion building up inside of you when it happens. And then, nothing. It gets cold and dark, then you wake up...."

Toriel took the empty pots away from the table, returning with a butterscotch-cinnamon pie.

"bcinn pie?" Sans chuckled. "heh, yer specialty..."

"WOWIE!" Papyryus exclaimed. "IT SMELLS DELICIOUS!"

Toriel cut it, beaming, and gave out slices to everyone, sitting back down.  
Frisk dug into theirs with excitement while Sans took a bite in contrast.

Sans liked the pie, its just that he's had it before in previous timelines. They all taste the same eventually. 

Habriel and Marion really liked it, though. They both smiled as they dug in.

Papyrus and Toriel spoke on when she could possibly give him a cooking lesson for the spaghetti, knowing that Undyne's lessons hadn't quite helped him. Sans listened silently, mildly amused.

Habriel and Marion discussed more about her abilities as a demon and about fighting the ancestors as part of their training against the Cathedral.

Frisk stayed quiet as they munched and listened, just like Sans. They wished that they could hang out with Flowey and Chara more.

"So what exactly is the hallway like?" Marion asked.

"It's....enigmatic..." Habriel said. "The first thing you see when you walk in is a stone tablet with a tiny scripture. 'The fallen ones and their caretakers are slaves to the curse. They are one.' it says."

"Weird," Marion muttered. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, then further down the hallway." Habriel said. "You see the statues of my ancestors whom you have to fight. In the center of that room is a podium holding the book I want. You can't touch it until you beat all five of my ancestors, though. Otherwise, the book kills you..."

Marion sighed.   
"Let's hope the training will help in the long run."

"It will." Habriel said. "Look at you. A couple days ago, you didn't even know how to use magic."

"True," His demonic companion thought back to before their training, when she didn't even realize she could use her blood as a weapon.

"Me, they'll see coming a mile away." Habriel said. "But You?" He smiled.

"They won't know what's coming," She finished the sentiment.

"Yeah, they won't expect a demon..." Habriel smiled.

They finished dessert. Toriel welcomed the skelebros to stay for a while and hang out.

They happily accepted the offer. Excited for whatever pie Toriel was gonna make.

Frisk showed Sans and Papyrus different drawings they had made recently of monsters in the underground. Toriel washed dishes in the kitchen sink, leaving time alone for Habriel and Marion. Habriel and Marion sat on the couch and watched anime together. After Frisk was finished showing off their masterful work, they went to create more up in their room. They grabbed Papyrus' hand and led him upstairs, leaving Sans and Toriel alone together. 

"hey, tori, i feel like we barely get time like this," Sans led Toriel over to the sofa, flopping down on the comfy cushions. "know what i mean? 'ts like one thing after another." Sans sighed. "feel bad for all of ya..."

"Thank you, Sans," Toriel smiled and sat down beside him.  
"It's quite alright. It may be hectic, but we're getting through it... I just worry about the children's perilous task on the surface..." She sighed.

"yeah....sounds pretty tough." Sans said. "if you'd like, i could go with 'em..."

"I think they requested to go themselves," Toriel admitted.  
"They said they didn't want anyone else they cared about getting hurt."

"that's weird...." He said. "why'd they want that? ever asked them?"

"Well, I think it makes sense, humans are stronger than monsters," Toriel stated.   
"And this is a very personal matter that they must attend to. I know it's dangerous and I've offered my help multiple times, but they insist that they do this themselves."

"alright." Sans said. "at the very least, we should get alphys to attach a camera to them. that way when it gets heated, we can go after 'em."

"Perhaps, if they agree to it..." Toriel trailed off, thinking about the situation. "Even if they don't... and Seraph's almost out of the picture..."

"they're right there." Sans said. "let's ask 'em."

"Hey, Habriel, Marion," Toriel called them, and they turned their attention over to her and Sans.  
"We were talking about your Cathedral trip and you know that we think it's extremely dangerous..." Toriel started.

Habriel and Marion listened intently for Toriel to move on. Shutting the TV off and giving her their full attention.

"Sans and I think it's risky to go to the surface and the Cathedral without backup, but you don't want anything to happen to us. We were thinking that perhaps a compromise would do good- a camera for you two, for instance. Something for us to see what you two see so we can help if thing get too bad."

"They could give us advice while we're up there...." Habriel said. "At the very least, we'll have an extra pair of eyes."

Marion nodded.   
"And if I'm so hurt I disappear, you know it'd take time to come back."

"Sure, why not?" Habriel said to his mother. "It'll definitely help."

"Alright. Maybe we can get cameras from a store or ask Alphys to help install them in your equipment for us," His mother sighed in relief that her children were in agreement.

"We could probably use one of the drones...." Habriel suggested. "That way, you might be able to see something we don't when we have our backs turned or something...."

"That we can definitely get from Alphys," Toriel nodded.  
"i can go see if i can find some cameras for the equipment while someone goes to alphys," Sans offered.

"Alright, cool then." Habriel said. "Hey Marion, I hope you don't mind. But, I feel like walking out for a bit in the Ruins."

"Oh, okay," She replied.

He got up and stretched his arms, slowly making his way out the door, shutting it behind him. He decided he would want to head to the flower garden, before taking in a view of the large city right outside Toriel's house. 

While everyone enjoyed themselves hanging out, Frisk thought to themself, 'where is Seraph really?'

Habriel, making his way down to the flower bed, he took a deep breath, looking up the hole with the light shining down upon him. He turned his head ans saw the cloaked specter floating still. Staring down at the ground. It looked like he got here before Habriel. 

Habriel stood still, watching the specter without a sound. He contemplated saying something. The specter didn't seem to notice his presence. He was just floating there, contemplating about something. Habriel cleared his throat loud enough for Seraph to notice, alerting him of the boy's presence. When he turned and saw him, he scowled. Seraph didn't really care that Habriel was there. He wasn't going to let the stupid boy ruin his peace and quiet. Habriel folded his arms at his chest, frustration boiling back up to the surface. Seraph couldn't care less about whether or not Habriel was getting irritated. He didn't like being disturbed, either. Habriel turned on his heel, ready to leave. He could care less about Seraph anymore. The feeling was mutual between the two. Habriel had decided he'd rather explore the city, away from that specter. So he decided not to pursue interaction and turned away from the flowers to go.

Making his way past Toriel's house and out to the city. He was rather excited to explore this place. At least until a monster approached him. "You...." the monster said. "You're the boy who's gonna head to the surface and beat up those humans, right?" Habriel nodded his head. "You humans...." the monster shook his head. "Always fighting, always cruel. Is that why you locked us down here? To watch us suffer?"

"I can't speak for the humans who locked you down here. " Habriel said. "I wasn't there a thousand years ago." He turned around and started walking away. The monster seemed frustrated and dissatisfied with the boy's blunt response. It followed Habriel.

Meanwhile back at Toriel's house. Toriel's phone went off. It was a number she didn't recognize. "Hello?" Toriel said.

"Hi, is this Toriel?" a female voice said. "This is Kid's mother. Is he still with you at your house?"

"Oh, not anymore, Undyne returned to take him," Toriel answered. "Is there a problem?"

"Really?" the mother asked. "I haven't seen either of them, today."

"What?" Toriel's face, though covered in white fur already, seemed pallid. Frisk noticed her expression, though they couldn't hear the conversation.  
"They never came back?" Toriel repeated, not believing it. "Undyne is a strong warrior- it'd be hard to believe that she couldn't protect herself and Kid if they were in trouble..."

"No, I haven't." Kid's mother said. "I'm getting worried."

"I'll see if I can find them or contact someone who might," Toriel promised. "Is that alright?"

"Alright." Kid's mom said. "Thank you so much."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Now kid...." the monster said. "It doesn't really matter if you were there or not. A lot of the monsters down here weren't alive during the war and they had to suffer all the same. It's only fair."

"What is this?" Habriel snapped and turned around. "Who are you? What do you want? Speak now and and forever hold your peace. Otherwise, get away from me."

"Remember when you were captured and your torture was broadcasted?" the monster asked. "Who do you think did that? Also, did you really think boss killed everyone?"

"Walk away....now..." Habriel growled. 

"No, you're coming with me." He said, pulling out his phone. "Or my friend here is gonna start to have fun." The screen showed Kid and Undyne tied up with a familiar unsettling laugh in the background. Habriel hasn't heard the voice for a while, he knew he'd met whomever had it before. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

However, what was important that Undyne and Kid don't get hurt. "Alright...." Habriel sighed. "Lead the way."

Toriel realized after she hung up from the conversation that Habriel had been out for a while longer than she thought he would be. "Frisk, do you know where Habriel went?" She asked the child.  
"Uh... I think he said he was going to the city?" They tried to recall his last words before he left the house.

"Yeah, it was the city." Marion said. "He was going to the city...."

"Should I go out to see if I can find him? Do you think... you think that Seraph saw him?" The mother asked hesitantly; it was evident in her voice that she didn't want to think about the unpleasant, unmannerly specter.

"I definitely will." Marion said, getting up. "I'll go look in the city." She was making her way to the door. "Either you can come with and get someone to watch Frisk, or you can stay here." She looked down at the ground. "I'm gonna find Habbie....."

"Maybe I should remain here in case he comes back," Toriel said, trying to think of places her son could have gone.

Marion nodded her head and went off to find her lover.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"So it's just the two of you left?" Habriel asked. "How sad."

"Yes, me and one other person." The monster said. "Our faces are everywhere now, thanks to the Royal Scientist. So we've been hiding."

"A damn shame...." Habriel sighed facetiously.

"We at least have you, now." the monster said. Opening the door for him. "He's been looking forward to this reunion."

"Who?" Habriel asked.

"Me..." the same familiar voice from earlier said. He stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself to be the jester from MTT Resort. The one who killed Marion. "Sommers." He bowed. "So nice, to finally meet you...."

Habriel's face alternated between fear and rage.  
"Where are Undyne and Monster Kid?" He demanded that the jester answered.

"How are you still alive? What do you want from me?" Habriel pressed on.

Sommers hopped to the side and revealed Undyne and Kid tied up behind him. The she warrior was knocked out and the little monster was sobbing in his chair. 

"Let them go, now..." Habriel's voice deepened. 

"Of course, boy." Sommers waved. "But to answer your questions. We have a score to settle. And do you really think I died that day?" The jester's grin grew wider. "News flash: Ghosts can't die." He said.

Monster Kid wriggled in his seat, unable to get himself free from his binds without the use of arms or hands. He noticed Habriel immediately, which made him want to get out more.

"Seriously?" Habriel shrugged. "Shouldn't you be more concerned with hiding?"

"Here's the thing you fail to realize, boy..." Sommers wagged his finger. "I've got nothing to lose." His voice became deep and menacing. "I might as well do what I want."

"What do you want, exactly?" Habriel asked the phantom in a low tone, eyeing the background victims.

"I want to settle things." Sommers said. "I killed your girlfriend, you destroyed my body and I had to build a new one. Then you and your friends killed my boss. It's a bit uneven, don't you think? We've already taken precious people from each other, but I still have yet to repay you for my body. I knew you wouldn't come here without some persuasion." He pointed at Undyne and Kid. "So I might as well leap at the opportunity I had in front of me."

"Just let them go and go after me instead," Habriel demanded hoarsely with an unwavering stare.

"Oh, I wish I could..." Sommers mocked. "But you see they're not really here. This is just an illusion." He snapped his fingers and Undyne and Kid turned into smoke. "They're safe and sound somewhere only I know."

"Let. Them. Go." Sommers was beginning to enjoy toying with his prey.  
"Aw, you must really care about them," He chirped.

"Too bad you won't get to see them again...." Sommers muttered. Reaching over to the table nearby. He quickly spun around, grabbing a wrench and bashed Habriel in the side of the head with it. 

The boy collapsed to the floor, head bleeding. The jester cackled in response admiring the bloody print on his tool.

The jester admired the blood-spattered tool in his hand, the reddened metal glistening in the artificial light.

He bent over and lifted the boy, looking at his white hair splattered with red. Humming along as he made his way out of the room. Heading somewhere else in the city.

Marion set out to search for Habriel, not knowing what was currently transpiring. Toriel waited anxiously back at the house in case her son turned up.

Avoiding the streets and any monster nearby. Sommers playfully skipped until he reached an abandoned building deep into the city. Bringing Habriel inside and sitting him down to a chair. Tying him up and humming along as he rummaged through some tools laid out on a table. Without turning, he sighed. "You're late." He grunted.

"I'm not you." the monster from earlier said. "Everyone knows I'm still alive. Doesn't really help to have been a local around here..."

"Whatever." Sommers waved it off.

Marion ventured through the city asking around if anyone had seen Habriel lately.  
Frisk decided to go out to find Seraph. They went out of the house, only to see him in the garden. They walked up quietly without saying anything for a moment.  
"Seraph?" They called.

Seraph smiled, knowing Habriel was in trouble. He was still capable of reading the boy's thoughts and became suspicious when it went blank. He however was still bound to the boy, Habriel was still alive. The specter floated along, ignoring Frisk, entirely.

"Seraph," Frisk called again. As he continued to ignore them, they set themself to continuously call his name over and over again until he acknowledged their presence and properly answered.

Meanwhile Habriel grunted, opening his eyes to Sommers setting up a pot over a fire and pouring some water in. "Ahh, awake I see." Sommers chirped. "I was just making dinner." 

"Dinner?" Habriel asked confused. "What?"

"Oh, you'll know what I mean." Sommers giggled. Sliding the boy's chair closer to the pot.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Still ignoring Frisk, Seraph floated towards the city until he started hearing Habriel's thoughts again. They weren't at all, pleasant.

He decided to try to find the boy. 

Frisk ran after him carelessly, calling their mother on the way there to tell her what was happening. They also contacted Marion.

"No! No! No!" Habriel furiously struggled in his chair as the jester laughed. Getting him right next to the pot. Habriel jumped back and kicked it over, spilling the hot water as he crashed onto the floor.

"Stupid boy!" Sommers kicked him in the ribs. "Now I have to start over."

'Seriously?' a voice filled Habriel's head. 'Can't leave you for two minutes without you getting into trouble...'

"Marion, Seraph's going to wherever Habriel is," Frisk huffed as they followed close behind the specter.  
Marion listened intently on the other end, trying to find Frisk.

Sommers had placed the pot back over the fire and refilled it with water. This time, he picked up Habriel's chair and leaned it over the giant pot. 

"No, please!" Habriel begged. "Please don't!"

"Still gotta make dinner." Sommers chirped as he dropped the boy into the pot. Habriel's deafening scream of terror became muffled as a lid was slammed over it by an ecstatic jester.

Marion and Frisk hung up once Marion caught up with them and they ran together after Seraph, who floated on towards his destination.

The specter decided talk to the boy. 'What have you gotten yourself into this time?' he thought.

'This psycho's trying to cook me!' Habriel thought. 

'You can teleport....' Seraph shook his head.

'That uses up your power.' Habriel gritted his teeth. 'You promise you won't possess me?'

'Fine, I promise....' Seraph shrugged. 

Habriel closed his eyes and focused on getting out of that pot. The water started to get warm, time was running out. He soon vanished and appeared out of the building. Falling over a ledge and landing on his back, the chair shattered. Causing him to grunt in pain.

Frisk and Habriel's lover ran after Seraph for a long time, wondering how far away Habriel really was. They hoped they wouldn't get too tired to keep track of the specter.

The jester heard Habriel outside and threw the door open. He saw Habriel finally break free from the chair and bindings. 

"YOU!" A deep voice bellowed from Sommers as he materialized a purple scythe. It scared Habriel to no end.

"Get away from me!" Habriel screamed. He tried to run away, but he was too hurt. He could only limp. He shot a violet beam at the jester, but he simply stepped to the side, easily dodging it. 

The monster started to chase after the boy. Habriel was screaming for dear life.

Seraph and his 'followers' ran along, getting closer and closer to Habriel's location.

"Stay away!" Habriel shouted at the jester. 

Sommers dragged his scythe across the ground, giggling to himself.

At this point, Seraph and the others could hear Habriel and Sommers' voices. They sped up to see what was going on. Habriel was desperately crawling away, covered in blood while the jester laughed. Playing with his scythe.

'Of course,' Seraph thought as he spotted the boy crawling on the ground, desperate to escape the monster. Frisk and Marion finally caught up, trying to catch their breath. However, their breath hitched when they saw what Seraph saw.

"Stop!" Habriel begged. "Please...."

The jester smiled, and pounced.

Marion dashed forward, trying to get Sommers away from Habriel's form. Seraph watched without comment.  
Frisk was frozen.

"Get away from him!" Marion shouted, kicking Sommers away from the boy. She knelt down to Habriel and held him, tightly. Glaring at the monster with tears running down her cheeks.

"Where are Kid and Undyne?" She asked Habriel hurriedly. He shook his head, indicating he hadn't a clue.  
Sommers whipped around and charged towards Frisk.

Marion cut her arm and slashed in his direction, causing him to jump back. He growled in frustration until another figure stood from above. It was another jester. Looked almost identical to Sommers. However, instead of being white and black, he was blue and red. 

"Cousin..." he muttered as he jumped down. 

"Gacy..." Sommers muttered. 

Frisk was farther away; they had dashed backwards to get away from Sommers. They stared at the newcomer.  
As Sommers and Gacy stared at each other momentarily, Marion took the opportunity to bludgeon him over the head.

"You bitch!" Sommers snarled as he knocked Marion to the ground. He materialized a purple scythe and was about to cut her in two.

However, Habriel used what little strength he had left to knock the jester into the wall. Gacy grabbed his cousin and they ran off. Waiting to fight another day. 

Seraph stared after the jesters as they retreated into the distance.  
Frisk breathed hard as they almost got assaulted by the jester themself, and Marion and Habriel helped each other stand.

Habriel quickly brought a hand to his mouth and coughed up a lot of blood. 

Marion muttered and mumbled to herself in a hushed tone, trying to think of what could help Habriel. Frisk joined them at the ground.

Habriel dropped to his knees, letting her go and coughing up even more blood. It gushed out of his mouth and got all over his hand. 

Frisk looked up to stare at Seraph, wondering what he was thinking and why he wasn't doing anything. Then they recalled that Seraph would be free if Habriel perished.

It wasn't like the specter could do much anyway. He wasn't capable of using any magic unless if he was possessing Habriel. 

Even if that were the case, he wouldn't have cared if the boy died. It was bound to happen at some point. 

Habriel fainted from all the coughing. 

"Here, let's bring him home," Frisk suggested, and Marion nodded sullenly. The two of them carried Habriel's body bleakly towards Toriel's house.

Toriel heard a knock on the door, opening it only to see a haggard Marion and Frisk carrying an even worse Habriel. She dropped what she was doing and let them inside, checking her son's injuries.

During the chase, Habriel had been toyed with by the Jester. The boy could hardly get away from the despicable creature who tried to eat him. 

Luckily, no vital area was hit. Whether that was intentional or not was unclear. However, Habriel had lost some blood and seemed to have fallen ill. 

Upon further inspection, Toriel and the others could tell that the boiling water from the large pot had reddened and lightly damaged major areas of Habriel's exposed skin, which included his face and hands.

"Who did this?" Toriel asked.

"My killer...." Masion said. "The Jester back at the MTT Resort.....Sommers...."

"Wh... wait, where's Kid and Undyne?" Toriel asked, and the realization dawned on Frisk and Marion's faces.  
"We didn't see them there," Frisk muttered. 

"There was a second one...." Habriel muttered. "His cousin. They ran off together somewhere else in the city right by your house. That's probably where-" he held his hand up to his mouth. Coughing furiously. Blood came pouring out of his mouth and all over his hand.

Toriel quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, hoping it would help him.  
"We gotta make sure that Kid and Undyne are okay," Marion said, thinking about the demonic jesters.

"I'm heading back out." she said. "If I die, Habriel can just bring me back, tomorrow." 

"I know, but still," Their mother sighed. "Be careful out there."

"Marion..." Habriel muttered.

She was gone before he could say anything else.

"be careful...." he fainted.

Toriel stroked his hair, seeing his state.   
"We'll take care of this, my child," She whispered.

"I'm a little curious, myself..." a voice creeped up from behind. It was Seraph. Lifting the boy's head up and opening one of the eyes, he examined it thoroughly. "Hmmm...." he muttered. "Poison....from a plant..."

Toriel glared at him but didn't make jerky motions to get him off her son, as she didn't wish to wake him. He needed rest greatly.

Seraph chuckled darkly. "Sommers, you clever dog." He smiled. "He used Oleander to start the fire. Most likely to paralyze Habriel and prevent him from trying to get out of the pot. Didn't count on him teleporting...."

Toriel took a mental note of that to tell her family and friends later, to warn them.

"Mr. Clemens is lucky to be alive." Seraph chuckled, letting the boy sleep. "A moment later and..." he made a wolfish smile.

"We get it, Seraph. Now save it," Toriel muttered hoarsely, baring her teeth at the specter.

"I don't think you do..." Seraph wagged a finger. "He'd be dead if not for me." He floated away.

Despite everything, he was right. It was Seraph who really got Habriel out of that mess. Marion and Frisk would have been too late on their own.

The goat woman frowned, looking down at Habriel's face, then to the direction Seraph floated off to. She considered thanking him, reluctantly.

She had no idea who he'd react to it. Would he be taken aback? Would he say "You're welcome"? Would he ignore it?

She cleared her throat.   
"Seraph?" She called, doubting he would care about anything she had to say to him. He probably wouldn't even answer to his name.

He reappeared, eyebrow raised under his hood. He had no idea what was gonna happen. She didn't sound irritated for once.

She sighed, closing her eyes. She couldn't help but think about what could have happened to her son if Seraph hadn't teleported him away.  
"Thank you for saving him," She said.

Seraph gasped, he didn't know what to do for a second. He was motionless. "You.....you're welcome....." he muttered.

His reaction caught her by surprise, and she looked up at him, seeing his bewildered expression.

They were both stunned. They've been at each other's throats for so long. It was a huge surprise to not have another fight.

"What?" Toriel asked quietly, staring at him. She expected a snarky countenance and sarcastic rebuttals.

"Nothing...." he said. "Just...you're welcome." 

For a second she saw a glimpse of the man he used to be. An awkward sensitive man.

He felt something he hadn't in a long time- embarrassment. Oftentimes he felt embarrassed for those he was connected to, but it was never like this.

Despite his gruff exterior, there are moments that show the man he once was. 

He might never admit to this. But at some point, he was just like Habriel. And, Toriel saw it just then.

He floated away quickly, hiding his expression as effectively as possible. She could tell how he felt, though.

She wanted to figure it out. The reason why he was so mean. The fact that he was just like Habriel had something to do his change. It made her wonder what exactly his past was. What happened that changed him. 

She called his name again, hoping he'd answer her again. She was tempted to ask many questions.

"I forgot to mention..." Seraph appeared again. "You'll want to call that doctor and have her give you some activated charcoal for the poison. And don't let him vomit unless instructed otherwise."

This also caught her by surprise. "Wh- oh," She blinked. "Thanks. Seraph, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" He still floated by her.

"How... if you don't mind me asking, of course," She interjected, stuttering a bit.  
"How... or why, rather, did you get this way?"

"Let me tell you a story of a little boy on the surface..." Seraph said. "I'll let you figure out who that boy is...."

She listened intently and he cleared his throat.

"Long ago, one human lived alone in a village.   
Monsters and humans lived together there.

The two races were at each other's throats.  
The monsters would spew hateful words at the human child.  
While the humans would alienate him because of his soul and how rare it was.   
He was called trash by the monsters, and a freak by the humans.

He would get hurt every day. Being attacked by everyone in the village.   
This was something he'd come to expect.

This one particular day, the humans were rather brutal with him.   
They had really hurt him from how much they've beaten him.   
The child thought it was over.  
Until....

Another human, from somewhere far away stepped in.  
This human was another child, and he stopped the humans and helped the child with the rare soul trait. 

At first nervous, the child with the rare soul trait had no idea what to do.   
However, he looked up and saw that the child from far away smiling down upon him.  
They shook hands and became the best of friends.

The boy with the rare soul trait became adopted.   
The two children spent their entire lives together.  
Playing with toys, learning, and growing up together.

Eventually, there was a war.   
The two human children, now grown up.   
Were called on for the line of duty.

These two children became very powerful mages, both with rare traits.  
One of Determination, and the other of Fairness.

Determination was involved with the front lines in battle.  
Fairness was involved with helping his Kingdom and making fascinating magical discoveries. 

One day, Fairness received a letter. It was about Determination.  
Determination had fallen.

Devastated, Fairness locked himself away and refused to come out until he found a way to revive the dead.  
He found a way.

With his discovery, he had revived Determination.   
And any human that had also fallen during the war.   
With their power together again, and the help of five others.   
They had won.

However, this victory was short lived.  
Something went wrong with the revived humans. 

Because of the tragedies caused by the revived humans,  
Fairness was blamed.

The others knew that hurting him alone would not be enough.  
So they punished him and his family."

"I see..." Toriel nodded, mulling over the anecdote. "I'm very sorry, Seraph."

"Fairness." He continued. "You shall walk the earth watching over your blood. You shall not feel another embrace. You shall attract all the negative forces of this world and watch the repercussions for your loved ones. You and your blood shall sample a small amount of the pain waiting for you in the firey depths of Hell. Your kind shall know no peace until the sun expires and your kind perished." He held his skeletal hands up to his face. Leaving cracks between his fingers to still show his face. It was a look of fear, anger, sadness, frustration and insanity. "We curse you of the Clemens bloodline. Your pain will be equivalent of your beauty. May Izalyth lock you all away in her castle in that accursed world you found. May you be her play things till the end of time."

Toriel was lost for words. "I... I'm really sorry, Seraph. Nobody deserves what you and your family went through," She finally murmured.

He wasn't responding to her. He was lost in his own thoughts. These were memories he did not want to go back to. 

A pained laugh came from him as he slowly looked back to everyone he's been bound to for the past thousand years.

It took a toll on him, mentally. Making him go insane. No wonder he wasn't the same person he was before.

She watched silently, deciding not to say anything more. It wasn't going to help anything; not now, anyway. No matter how many people said 'sorry' now, it would never make up for what the people did to Seraph and the Clemens family.

Seraph vanished, wanting to be alone.

A moment later, a pained sigh came from the sofa and Habriel lifted his head. Struggling to lift himself off the couch, he tried to get up. But, he simply couldn't lift himself.

"My child, rest," Toriel moved to him and laid a hand by his head reassuringly. "You need time to heal... y'know, Seraph actually saved your life," She said, sounding surprised herself.

"I think I can-" 

"My child." Toriel shook her head. "Your body is dealing with poison, right now. You need to rest as much as possible. You are very weak, right now."

"I'm fine." Habriel said. "Really."

"Alright, let's have you prove yourself." She smiled. "Prove to me you're just fine." She stood in front of the sofa. "Try to get past me and I'll let you do whatever you want." 

"Oh...okay..." Habriel raised an eyebrow and tried to get up. All she did was raise a hand and place it in front of him. Which was more than enough to knock him back into the chair. He chuckled in response. "Alright then..." Habriel said. "Guess I could use a little rest..."

"I can't believe... Seraph even told me how to help cure you," She added quietly, thinking.

"He did?" Habriel looked up in disbelief. "Wow....I wonder what made him do that...."

"I also asked him about his past..." The mother admitted.

"Really?" Habriel asked. "All that and I was dead asleep missing it." He widened his eyes and shook his head. "Wow...."

"Yes..." Toriel said thoughtfully. "He said charcoal would help cure you, is all I know."

"You said I was poisoned?" Habriel asked. "By what? How? How do we get rid of it?"

"He said Sommers used Oleander on you to paralyze you, I believe," Toriel said, thinking aloud and trying to recall what Seraph had stated towards the beginning of their conversation.

"Oleander!?" Habriel gasped. "I read a book that talked about that. Jesus. If you set it on fire the smoke is enough to get you. Much less eating it. The symptoms are-" he sighed and shook his head. "Oh man...."

"My child, it'll be alright," Toriel smoothed his hair, feeling his clammy forehead. "We'll take care of this."

"I know..." Habriel sighed. "But God damn it...I walked right into it..." He waved his arms in the air. "I should have just walked away."

"My child, don't worry," She replied. "We'll try to do something if they come back."

"Yeah..." He smiled. "Thanks....I couldn't do this without you and everyone else...."

She embraced him carefully so as not to hurt him or disturb him too much, then laid him back down.   
"Get some rest, my child," She kissed his forehead. "I'll stay here if you need anything."

She pulled out her phone and texted Alphys. Informing her of everything that's been going on. About Undyne and Kid being captured and Marion looking for them. She also told the scientist about how Habriel was poisoned and asked for the activated charcoal.

The Royal Scientist replies saying that she would send someone over to deliver the antidote.

'Jeez, out of all the things Sommers coulda used,' Alphys typed, shaking her head in disgust.  
'He's a real problem.'

After what seemed like forever, Toriel heard a few knocks coming from outside the ruins. She waited in the hallway for the delivery monster to come. Opening the door, she was surprised to see it was Haluatreg of all monsters. 

The ninja goat had a mini satchel slung over his shoulder with what the scientist had given him. "Its uhh...good to see you Mrs. Habriel's mom..." he wasn't the best at formal conversation it seemed.

She stared at him with blank shock. "Halustreg?" She said bluntly.


	35. Chapter 35

"Yeah..." he scratched the back of his neck. "Alphys sent me. How's Habriel?"

"You care?" Toriel gave a sarcastic laugh. "He's resting at the moment. The Oleander has him almost paralyzed.

"Oh..." he sighed and looked down at the ground. "Well....can I say hi? Even if it's just for a moment...."

She stared at him. "No offense, Halustreg, but by your history, I wouldn't be surprised if you tried to take him out while he was down." He looked down, rather hurt by her cold words. He just wanted to help. "Okay...." he said as he handed her the package. He started to turn around and walk away. She sighed and moved aside from the doorway. "You can come in if you'd like, Halustreg," She said.

"Oh..." he turned around. "Thank you." he smiled.

Toriel led him inside and closed the door temporarily. "He's here," She said.

"Thank you." he said, heading upstairs. 

Halustreg followed the sad mother up to where Habriel lay.

"Oh jeez..." he muttered, looking at the weak boy laying down. He was more pale than usual. Bags under his eyes and sweating profusely, he was struggling.

"He's been like this for a little while since Sommers escaped," Toriel explained to the other goat monster as they looked at the poor boy.

"Here..." Haluatreg muttered, making his way over to Habriel. He reached into his satchel and pulled out what he needed to give the boy. Giving Habriel the activated charcoal and something to drink. 

"How do you know what to do?" Toriel asked him.

"I....lost my mother..." Haluatreg said. "She was poisoned and I couldn't help her. So, after she.....well..." He continued operating on the boy. "I taught myself how to get rid of poison so it wouldn't happen again...."

Habriel stopped struggling to breathe, briefly opening his eyes.

Habriel seemed really confused and disturbed by the person hovering above him. 

"Halustreg?" Habriel muttered. 

"Yeah, saved your life, scum." He smiled from behind his mask. 

Toriel made her way to Habriel and hugged him tightly, relieved to see he was getting better. "I was so worried it wouldn't work." She murmured.

"It did..." Habriel hugged back.

Toriel thanked Halustreg for helping them, and to thank Alphys for sending the charcoal. It was a nice moment, but Halustreg didn't know how to approach it.

"You're welcome..." He said. He smiled at Habriel. "You get better soon, okay?" He gave a thumbs up.

Habriel nodded weakly, giving his former foe a half-smile. "Yeah."

"I'll see you around...." he said. He made his way out of the ruins, heading back home.

\----------------------------------------

Marion was slowly making her way down a dark alley in the ruins. Trying not to make a sound.

"That was unexpected," Toriel sighed, sitting back down beside her son.

"Yeah..." Habriel said. "Didn't see this coming."

\---------------------------------------- 

Marion heard a disturbing chuckle of an all too familiar voice. Looking through a window there they were. The two Jesters standing over Undyne and Kid.

'It's them,' Marion thought, her breath hitching in her throat. 'Crap, what do I do?'

Gacy seemed rather disappointed that they lost the human. Talking to Sommers over the crying little monster. Undyne was doing her best to reassure him that they'll be fine and they'll get out of this. 

Monster Kid sobbed and was on the verge of wailing, and Undyne was trying to keep him from doing so. If he did, she bet that the jesters wouldn't take it lightly, and would punish them.

Marion thought about what she had to do. She didn't like the plan. There were so many risks involved and she would have to do it fast. 

She thought if she charged in, got the jesters by surprise, and released kid and Undyne. That would give them an opportunity to escape. If push came to shove, she would have to fight off the jesters while they ran away. 

'Alright,' She breathed deeply and she looked ahead, her jaw set. 'Let's do this.'

She kicked the door down and charged in. Catching the jesters by surprise. Cutting her forearm, she waved her hand and blood poured out at jet speed. Knocking the two jesters into the wall, making them collapse. Marion used the same blood to form a knife to quickly cut off the bindings on Undyne and Kid. 

Kid was in shock, but Undyne took action.   
"Thanks," The fish warrior saluted their savior and grabbed Kid around the middle, carrying him under her arm as she dashed out to escape.

The two jesters got up and started to take chase, but Marion knocked them back again. Starting to run with Undyne away from the two maniacs. 

She could hear Sommers howling from behind as she ran, hoping that they wouldn't pursue her and the escapees any further.

She made a trail of blood on the ground. Hoping it would do something to keep them away from her. Sommers screeched like a maniac while Gacy looked on, frustrated. The blood had impaled them. Making it out of the city. Marion, Undyne and Kid pushed on, making their way to Toriel's house. The door flew open, the band of exhausted travelers entering not a moment too soon. Toriel heard the door downstairs and went to see what was going on.

Marion shut the door and locked it, just in case if the jesters managed to follow them. She was panting non-stop as she watched Undyne put Kid, down.

Kid was breathing hard, not because he was doing any running, but because of all the adrenaline from the chase. He plopped down on the sofa face-first and groaned audibly.

Marion got up and placed a hand on Kid's back in a soothing matter. "It's okay..." she murmured. "You're safe, now..."

He shifted to sit up and put his head at her torso, crying a bit.  
"Thanks for that back there," Undyne said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "I wasn't sure if you guys would be able to find us."

"It took me forever to find you..." Marion shook her head and hugging Kid. 

Toriel ran down the remaining stairs. "Marion! You found Undyne and Kid!"  
She was ecstatic. 

She nodded her head. "We just barely made it out." she coughed, letting Kid go. "So uh....how's my Habbie?"

"At the moment, he's resting upstairs. Alphys sent Halustreg (surprisingly enough) to give him the antidote to the poison," Their mother said as she walked over to the tired group.

"You mean, he's getting better?" Marion gasped. She let go of kid and started to make her way upstairs. 

"Yes," Toriel called after her as she ran upstairs to see him eagerly.   
"I'm glad you two are okay," She sighed, turning to Kid and Undyne. "Now I can tell your mother you're safe," She said, smiling at Kid, who nodded.

Marion quickly rushed over to Habriel's room. Toriel helped him upstairs while she was out saving Kid and Undyne. She began to cry as she made her way over to him, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. 

"I'll bring Kid to his mom, for sure this time," Undyne grinned and laughed. Toriel smiled and nodded.   
"Alright, you two be safe now," She said, letting them outside and waving goodbye.

"Marion...?" Habriel muttered, opening his eyes. She kept hugging him.

He lifted a hand to stroke her hair soothingly. "I'm okay," he murmured.

Toriel was downstairs, more happy than ever to see her two children safe and sound. Though tired and beaten up, they were under her roof and that was all she cared about. She had already lost a family a long time ago, she couldn't handle losing another.

Undyne trotted along with Kid in tow, cellphone in hand.  
Toriel had given her Kid's mother's phone number, and she was currently explaining everything that had happened. The mother sounded terrified, and Undyne kept insisting that everything would be fine from then on.

"Its alright, ma'am." Undyne said. "Kid and I are heading back now. He'll be safe and sound back home."

"Alright," The monster sighed on the other side of the line, distressed, but listening. "I trust you."

"Don't worry." Undyne said. "They might have got the jump on me once, but it won't happen again."

They reached Kid's house soon enough, and Undyne was thanked profusely.

Meanwhile Marion laid next to Habriel, stroking his hair while he slept. He looked peaceful.

'Thank goodness everything's okay,' Toriel thought to herself as she prepared herself a cup of tea. 'It'll just take a while for him to heal... hopefully, those jesters don't decide to come back...' She prepared an extra cup of tea, let it cool a bit, then tip-toed upstairs to give it to Marion.

"Thank you..." Marion said, taking a sip of her tea. She looked down at her boyfriend who was smiling in his sleep. She was happy to see he was getting comfortable.

'I'll be downstairs,' Toriel whispered to her, then closed the door quietly, padding down the steps.

Marion turned to Habriel and rested a hand on his head. He looked happy. 

Frisk walked up to Toriel as the mother made her way downstairs. "How is he?" they asked. "Can I see him?"

"He's resting right now, my child," Toriel pat their head, leading them to the couch.  
"Let's give it a little time."

"I got scared...." Frisk said, sitting with their mother. "Before Halustreg came over. I thought...." they looked up at Toriel sad.

"I know, me too," Toriel said quietly. "But he'll be alright. We'll keep him safe."

Frisk hugged Toriel, crying. "I just don't wanna lose my brother..." they sobbed.

The mother knew this was the aftershock, and she stroked their back, embracing them.  
"I know, my child," She murmured. "I understand."

The cloaked specter seemed to have been lazily floating around inside the house. Looking at the mother comforting her precious child. He sighed.

"My child, Habriel will be cured, well rested, and energized soon," Toriel murmured, hugging Frisk.  
"He'll feel better than he did before."

"Yeah and what next?" Frisk asked. "There's always something next...." They were right. The boy just can't seem to get a break.

"Well, my child," Toriel sighed. "You're right. I know he keeps getting into trouble, but he's strong and he's got us to help him. He always will," She answered, understanding their feeling of dread.

"I have to admit...." Seraph sighed. "The boy is stronger than I thought...." he looked at the hurt child and their mother. "Most bound to me didn't survive nearly as long as he did....most died around the age of eight or younger...."

"Sometime soon, things will change, I think," Toriel reassured the small human.

"At least one of us is faithful...." Seraph muttered. Floating away to be by himself again.

Later on, Habriel awoke slowly, finding Marion by his side. He smiled.  
'I wonder how long I was out for?' He thought, looking around to see a clock.

"Hey Mar..." He said, slowly getting up. He was sore. 

She turned around.

"Hey," She smiled and hugged his tired frame. "How are you feeling? Any better than before?"

"Mhmmm." He nodded his head. "Headache seems to have gone away and I'm not a sweaty mess, anymore." He stood up. "I'm thirsty, though. I'm getting a water, want anything?"

"Uh, let me get that for you," Marion stood and moved to go into the hall.  
"I mean, you just woke up."

"It's fine..." He said, heading down with her. "I wanna stretch my legs, anyway...."

"Alright, be careful," She said while they went down together. He filled a glass and drank heartily, feeling satisfied after. 

Frisk turned their head from their mother and saw Habriel with Marion in the kitchen. Toriel turned her head as well.

"My child, you're up!" Toriel smiled, seeing her son up and moving again.  
"You seem to be feeling well." Frisk sniffled and smiled upon the sight.

"Hey guys!" Habriel chirped and smiled at them. 

Frisk ran over and hugged him tightly, ready to cry again.

"They really hoped you'd be okay," Toriel stated, watching the two.  
"They were worried. As was I."

"Well, whatever Halustreg gave me..." Habriel said, hugging Frisk back. "It seems to be working. I don't feel like I'm dying, anymore."

"I can't believe it," Marion shook her head. "Halustreg was actually helpful for once."

"I think after his defeat..." Habriel said. "He's learned there's more to life than simple pride. Maybe he just wanted to redeem himself..."

"Maybe Alphys is paying him," Frisk chuckled, wiping their tears out of their eyes.

"That's also a possibility." Habriel said. "He had to have gotten that antidote from somewhere."

"Either way, I hope he's turned a new leaf," Toriel commented.   
"I'm honestly grateful for what he's done for us. I hope he has become a new person."

"We all grow up eventually..." Habriel said. "This is probably just his first step. I'm happy for him..."

It was the afternoon by the time Habriel had come downstairs. Toriel prepared food for them all, as Habriel was probably hungry, and they all were after learning that he turned out fine. Their bodies had put off things like that until the worry was over.

Ever since Habriel came back. Toriel was worried that she would lose him under her own roof of all places. She did not know what she would do if she lost him.

Frisk might have gone for some drastic measures to make sure not to lose him if that did happen.

"I probably would confront Sommers myself," Frisk admitted to their older brother. "If you... y'know."

"That's the last thing I want you to do." Habriel knelt down. "I know you care for me and I appreciate it. But do not approach him or his cousin." He looked to the side. "They're.....psychotic...."

"I wonder where Gacy came from, or who he is..." Marion sighed, thinking about their escape.

"Hmmm..." Seraph appeared. "I've actually seen how they've arrived in the city" he explained. "While you are all sleeping, I go out and explore a bit. I happened upon them one night."

"What? The city? Like Snowdin?" Toriel replied, concern rising once more. It was in her nature, at this point.

"No, the city right outside your house." Seraph said. "You're practically neighbors."

They all stared at Seraph with wide eyes, silent.   
"You... you didn't tell us this before?" Frisk asked.

"I didn't recognize them." Seraph said. "Toriel has the only exit to the ruins. The only monsters that can come here without using it are-"

"Ghosts..." Frisk muttered.

"We gotta do something," Frisk muttered, sounding more hopeless than hopeful.

"You see they came to this city as ghosts." Seraph explained. "Here, they captured a monster and had him build them new bodies or....dolls to possess. Those jester things, they're just dolls." He shook his head. 

"Right..." Marion murmured. "But if we get rid of the dolls they inhabit, they'd come after us again, just like before. What can be done about 'em?"

"They're clever." Seraph said. "They don't fully merge with the bodies they're possessing. Meaning that they can't die..."

They all sighed in unison. "Maybe Halustreg got stronger?" Frisk suggested in a light tone. "You think he could help?"

"We'll see." Habriel said. "There's also Kaizer."

"He shouldn't be the one to have to do this all the time, but he's the only one qualified to do it," Toriel sighed.

"We should probably lock the doors and shut the windows..." Habriel thought aloud.

Toriel was already at it. Frisk was sitting on the couch, seemingly questioning everything.  
"When will this end?" Marion groaned.

"Come along, boy." Seraph waved an arm at Habriel. "It's time you learned a new spell."

The others stared at Seraph strangely, wondering how Habriel would react. They wondered if he'd refuse or comply to the specter's demands.

"What are you planning to teach me?" Habriel asked.

"Another demon." Seraph said bluntly. "One that'll guard the outside while you sleep."

Habriel thought for a moment and shrugged, nodded, and followed Seraph to learn.  
"Might as well."

"Which one is it this time?" Habriel asked. 

"Whichever the second greatest sin that effects you is..." Seraph said. "It won't be as strong as Marion, but it will still be quite powerful nonetheless."

"Okay, how do we start?" Habriel asked.

"While you know the first one is lust." Seraph said. "Caused by that unsavory fellow who was to watch over you."

"Why do they assault us?" Habriel asked.

Seraph shook his head. "That was an assumption made on your part." Seraph said. "I've watched everything. Your priest was the only one who was the pedophile. Everyone else never quite got the same treatment as you. Not even Marion over there." He pointed at her. "They let him do what he wanted to you because he kept you alive." Seraph went on. "Nothing else mattered." 

Habriel bristled at the words, shaking himself out.   
"Alright, go on," He insisted.

"So now that you know who caused the Lust demon to be your first." Seraph said. "It'll make it easier for you to figure out what the second one is and what caused it."

"Alright," Habriel replied. He set his mind to work. "This shouldn't be too hard..."

"What is one of the more common emotions people feel around you?" Seraph asked. 

"Anger..." Habriel said.

"Or sorrow," Habriel reasoned. "It's pretty common."

"Now cast a rune." Seraph said. "Which one between the two would be more common?"

"Definitely sorrow..." Habriel said.

"Focus on that." Seraph said. "Focus on all the times your new family has wept for you."

He did what Seraph said reluctantly. It was much more difficult a task than the first time; doing this just made him pensive and melancholy.

He had to sit down and take a break. Summoning this demon was much tougher than the first.

Seraph floated around, waiting impatiently for the boy to do as he was told.

Habriel tried again, focussing on all the times someone had wept for him. All the times he was hurt and they were powerless. When they were filled with despair.

Soon enough another figure appeared out of the room. The figure looked like a child version of Habriel. Except his skin was dark grey and the eyes were black as night. The little thing stood there, crying to itself.

"Good," Seraph said, observing the strage child with his arms folded expectantly.

Habriel-Clemens said the following:

"Why's it crying?" Habriel asked.

"It's fake crying." Seraph said. "If whatever it's after gets too close. Well.....it isn't pretty...."

"Oh," Habriel took a step away from the creature, feeling less sympathetic and more frightened by it.

"Remember." Seraph said. "Demons are soulless like Flowey and feel no emotion." It started making it's way towards the front door. Toriel moved out of its way, taking Frisk with her.

"Flowey had feelings," Habriel protested. "That's not true."

"I should have said feelings for others." Seraph said. "He can be happy, sad, angry. But lacks compassion, empathy. These demons feel no emotion what so ever."

"That sounds more accurate," Habriel sighed, watching the demonic child move around. Toriel and the family knew not to approach it.

It opened the door, still sobbing as it went outside. Habriel closed the door behind it and locked it.

"This is really weird," Habriel said after it went away. "How is this supposed to help me protect them? Anyone can get hurt by it."

"Think about the way everyone has treated you." Seraph said. "All the good things your family has done for you, and all the bad things the jesters have done to you. The demon will do the rest."

"So... it feels and knows what I do?" Habriel asked the specter. 

Seraph nodded his head. "Demons are linked to their summoners." He said. "They're a part of you in a sense...."

"Great..." Habriel sighed. "Part of me i's a creepy, murderous child," he droned.

"Much less that, much more of a culmination of all your sorrow along with all the people around you." Seraph said. "Built together into one being made to represent your despair. The manipulative nature reflects the malice of those who've done horrible deeds to you."

"So is that it?" Habriel asked. "I thought it would've been something more."

"Demons are living mindless creatures who are bound to others." Seraph said. "When not bound to a summoner, they are bound to Izalyth. Their queen. She rules the realm in which they reside. Slithers between one universe and another. The space between the worlds. They also have a bit of history with the Cathedral."

"And it won't attack my family or friends?"

"You've already thought about them in a positive regard?" Seraph asked. "If so, they should be safe."

"Of course I have," Habriel nodded. "So it feels the same way I do towards them?"

"No, it has no emotions." Seraph said. "It just knows it's owner's feelings towards them and to not attack them."

"Good. Is there anything else you were going to show me?" The boy asked the specter.

"I've provided what's necessary for now." Seraph said. "Anything else, you might kill yourself by accident."

Habriel nodded, and he retured to the house to tell his family what he did.

"What happened?" Marion ask. "Did he teach you anything else?"

"No, just the demon." Habriel said. "And a little bit about how to control it...."

"Well, that's useful," She concluded. "If it can protect us against the jesters."

"Things are getting much worse..." Habriel sighed. "First the danger was on the surface and that used to be it. Then there was more danger throughout the Underground. And now we have it out our front doorstep." He rested his head in his hand as he sat down. "Things aren't looking too good...."

"Maybe there's a way to get rid of Sommers and Gacy,"   
Frisk suggested in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah." Habriel said. "We can't kill them. There has to be a way we can imprison them."

"Hey, if Alphys placed a soul into a robot, maybe she can make a chamber to bind their souls to so they can't leave," Marion said.

"That might actually work..." Habriel said. "If anyone knows how to work with ghosts and other unkillable monsters, it's her."

"We should stay here, though," Toriel stated, reminding them that the jesters were practically sitting ourside, wait in for the sitting ducks to leave the house.

"There's one advantage we have." Habriel said. "They only have the ruins, and have to leave their jester bodies there if they want to explore the rest of the Underground. We however, have the one and only exit to the rest of it."

He looked out the window. "From what I've seen of ghosts. They don't seem to like leaving their bodies. So we have them cornered in a sense...."

"We can call Alphys, but it's dangerous for us to leave, or for her to come here..." Toriel thought aloud.  
"This will be tough."

"We can always call Sans." Habriel said. "He can teleport."

Toriel sighed, blushing and frowning.   
"It's still dangerous to approach themhead-on..."

"We just gotta come up with a game plan." Habriel said. "I suggest separating them and grabbing them one at a time. See what Alphys can do with them. Anyone else got a plan?"

"If only we could sick them up in a vacuum, just like in the movies," Frisk said. "That would make things so easy."

"I'm sure Alphys can think of something." Habriel said. "Maybe not a vacuum, but something just as good."

Toriel dialed and put the phone on speaker so they could all talk to Alphys at once.

"H-hello?" Alphys answered. "H-how're guys doing?"

"Hi, Alphys!" Frisk chirped. "Hello, Doctor," Toriel greeted. "I'm sorry to call you about something like this; it seems like every time we meet, something bad happens," She sighed. "But we need some way to trap Sommers and his cousin permanently. They've got us cornered in our house."

"Do you think there's a way we can trap them?" Habriel asked.

"Well, when I preformed on Mettaton...." Alphys started. "I exposed him to a pheromone that would paralyze him as a ghost. Making it easier for him to adjust to his new body. Without having to go through the long arduous process of completely bonding with it over a long period of time."

"Alright," Habriel nodded. "You think you can use the same thing on them?"

"Yeah, I think I can use that to paralyze them and keep them prisoner." Alphys said.

"I'll just have to figure out how to get them into a place to paralyze them. Also, how to capture them when they've been paralyzed..."

"Leave that part to me." Habriel said. Everyone looked at him. "I'm the one they're after. I'll be the bait."

"Wait, no," Frisk protested. "Don't be the bait! It's like you're always the bait, whether you want to be or not. That's not really fair to you."

"I'm not just gonna walk up to them and say 'Here I am. Eat me; I don't care.'..." Habriel said. "We've gotta come up with a plan. Make them think they've got the jump on me." he smiled maliciously. "And I think I know how...."

They were all paying close attention. They had to; they needed to make sure that the plan functioned properly and that they would get a good outcome.

"We're the only ones who know Halustreg and I aren't rivals, anymore." Habriel said. "So, I'm gonna have the two of us fake a fight. In the middle of it, Halustreg is gonna 'injure me'" he bent his fingers making air quotes. "nearby where they live. They'll be hearing the commotion and will want to check it out. They'll probably think Halustreg's weak and will try to over power him to get to me." he looked at everyone around him. "That's where everyone else comes in. Whomever decides to get involved will be hiding around us, waiting for then jesters to come out. And when they do..."

"I can call Halustreg," Frisk offered, holding up their phone. "I can tell him the plan. Maybe he'll agree."

"Of course." Habriel said. "Now, we just gotta figure out who's gonna help us capture them." 

"Does anyone have his number?" Frisk asked around, readying their phone to dial the goat monster's number. 

"Alphys might have it." Habriel said. "She had to contact him, somehow."

"Ye-yeah, I have it." Alphys said on speaker. "I also added him on U-undernet."

So the scientist read the number aloud to them and Frisk keyed it in, moving into a different room to call the goat monster.

The phone answered in no time and she could hear the young man's voice. "Hello?" he said. "Who is this?"

"Frisk, if you can remember me," They answered dutifully. "I'm Habriel's younger sibling."

"Oh uh...hi..." he said awkwardly. "Is Habriel alright?"

"Yeah! Actually, he's getting much better! Thanks," They said, smiling.   
"But we have another problem now, and can't leave our house. The jesters are in the ruins."

"The jesters?" Halustreg asked. "Who?"

"Sommers and his cousin, Gacy? The ghosts? They paralyzed Habriel, and you brought him the antidote."

"Never met them." Halustreg said. "They're the ones that did that to Habriel? And you want my help?"

"Yeah, he says he has a plan to get them trapped with the help of you and Alphys," They explained. "She'd use tech to trap them, but you'd have to make it seem like you were fighting Habriel and winning. If he sounds injured, they'd come out."

"Why don't I come back and we can go over the plan in detail?" Halustreg asked.

"Good idea," They replied. "Thanks!" They went into the other room to tell their family of the conversation they just ended.  
"Guys, Halustreg's coming here to discuss the plan," They stated proudly.

"Alright, good." Habriel said. "Now we gotta find people to help kidnap the jesters."

Toriel offered herself as one of the ones to help take the jesters.  
"I think I might be strong enough," She suggested. "I just hope it works."  
"Alright, who else can help take them?"

"There's also Undyne, Kaizer and Sans." Habriel said. "We need enough to overwhelm them..."

"Wait, can't Halustreg do it if he's gonna be there at the time?" Marion pointed out.

"He'll be busy acting with me." Habriel said. "We need more than three people."

"Right..."  
They all sat around thinking of possible candidates until Halustreg arrived at the house.

"Sans can turn people blue and make them not move!" Frisk suggested.

"That's true," Habriel nodded. "Maybe he'd be willing to do the job... what do you guys think?" He asked the rest of the group.

"I think he would." Marion said. Frisk nodded their head.

"If you want, I can go call him, too," Frisk offered, taking out their phone again, turning the device on.

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Habriel asked Toriel. "You know him better than everyone."

"I know he's perfectly capable, and always helps out his friends and family," Toriel sighed.   
"I guess we could try with him."

"You think we need anyone else or is the four of us enough?" Habriel asked.

"Five." Marion said. "I'm in, too." Habriel smiled.

"What should I do? Where can I be?" Frisk asked feeling both left out, and like they should be doing more to help their family.

"Its a little dangerous Frisk." Habriel said.

"Its always dangerous." Frisk raised an eyebrow.

"My child, I'm not comfortable with any of you participating in this. Much less you," Toriel stated, squinting.  
"It's too risky. It could fail at any time, and there could be consequences."  
"I feel like I haven't helped enough, though," Frisk pouted.

"How about you be a lookout." Habriel said. "You watch from a safe distance and you can communicate to someone if something goes wrong. That a good compromise?"

They exhaled slow, nodding.  
"I'll keep Kaizer on speed-dial, I guess," They replied, disappointed.

"These are dangerous guys." Habriel said. "They got the jump on me and look how that turned out. I almost died....again....."

"I just watch everybody here take action and always go and hide somewhere. I just want to help," They muttered. "It feels like I'm just doing nothing."

"Frisk..." Habriel said. "All I do is hurt people. Even kill them. I don't want you to become like me. I don't want you to make those mistakes. You're a good person. Don't change for my sake."

"That's not what I want," they sighed, trying to explain as best as they could.  
"I'm not going to hurt people, I just wish there was a way for me to protect you guys. You're my family. You may hurt people, but you're just trying to protect others from those who are destructive."

"Well....no I can't possibly ask you to do that..." Habriel muttered.

"What? Do what?" They wanted to hear what he had to say. These people were all so important to them, and they just wanted to assist them in any way and protect them.

"You still have control of the timeline, right?" Habriel asked.

They stared at him.  
"Yeah..." This they weren't sure if they liked. Anything involved with timeline altercations made them nervous ever since they vowed never to change the timeline again.

"Do you think you can make a Save in case if anything goes wrong?" Habriel asked.

They were all staring at Habriel and Frisk.  
"Yes, I can. I just hope it doesn't come to that," They said in a small voice.

"You just made the biggest contribution in this plan." Habriel smiled.

They laughed nervously, not expecting to have to affect the timelines ever again.   
"How can I go and save if they're outside...?"

"You'll still be on the lookout." Habriel said. "But if anyone dies. You reload the save and it will be like it never happened."

"Okay, but I gotta go outside to get to a savepoint now, right? But they're outside," They repeated.

"Okay." Habriel said. "Do what you have to do."

"But what if they see me?" They asked, sweating.

"You can have someone with you where you look out." Habriel said. "I'm sure we can find someone willing."

"Alright, then I should do it now," They decided out loud.

They went outside and took a deep breath as they saved their game. It felt strange, it was so long since they last did this.

'Thinking about the plan to detain Sommers and Gacy once and for all fills you with determination,' They thought to themself.

They went inside, reuniting with their family. "Alright." They said. "Its done."

"Let's hope you don't have to use it," Marion murmured.

"Alright, we have the ultimate failsafe, now..." Habriel said. "Thank you, Frisk."

They nodded.   
"So when do we start the fake fight?" Halustreg asked the boy. "And you sure they'll come out?"

"You know what?" Habriel said. "You're right. We should have another group lead a search party if they don't take the bait."

"This is getting complicated," Marion sighed.

"We can't take chances." Habriel said. "I don't want anyone getting hurt from this."

"If we get Sans involved, you think he'll be able to find them if the plan goes awry?" Marion asked.

"That sounds like a good idea." Habriel said. "So mom, if they don't take the bait, you and Sans will be one search party while Halustreg and I will be the other. Frisk will still be the lookout."

"Alright. We'll all use our phones to talk when we need. You all ready?"

"I'm ready." Habriel said. Halustreg nodded his head.

"I'll call Sans." Toriel said.

She called the short, smiley skeleton and told him everything, asking if he'd agree to help them to make going outside safer for all of them.

"anything for you, tori." Sams chuckled.

She smiled and blushed. "It will involve multiple teams, one to catch and hold Sommers and Gacy down, and the other to find them if our plan doesn't quite work out."

"aight." Sans said. "long as i get to spend more time with ya."

"Of course, Sans," She smiled, and he could hear it on the other line.

He smiled and appeared in the house. "sup?"

"Hey, Sans," Toriel smiled.  
"Hi, Sans!" Frisk grinned and waved at the skeleton like an idiot.

"Everyone's here." Habriel said. "Great! Hey Sans."

"sup," Sans greeted Habriel.  
"so the gang's all here? guess we can all just start, then."

"Everyone ready?" Habriel asked. "Any last questions, comments, concerns?"

"Under the circumstance that the jesters find me when I'm alone, should I bring something to defend myself?" Frisk asked innocently.

"Yes." Habriel said. "We should all be prepared for that, in fact."

"What should we all take?" Marion asked Habriel.  
"i already have my bones," Sans shrugged.   
"And I have my fire magic," Toriel said.

"I have my magic." Habriel said.

"I have my swords." Halustreg grabbed them.

"I have my blood." Marion cut her forearm.

"I have..." Frisk sat blankly, staring at nothing. "Uhhh...."

"Here." Habriel said. He materialized a violet bat and handed it to Frisk.

They looked at it for a second before wielding it up behind their shoulder with both hands, like a professional player. "Plaaaaay ball!" They said enthusiastically.

"Yeah..." Habriel said. "Didn't think you wanted a blade..."

"I guess after this, I can... run home?" They snickered, and Toriel and Sans laughed too.

"Good one." Habriel patted their back.

"kid's still got it," Sans winked.  
"Alright, let's roll." They all shuffled out of the house one by one and got into positions.

"You ready Blazing Blade?" Habriel asked his former rival, materializing a sword.

"Just as much as you, 'scum,'" He winked.  
"We better make this as believable as possible."

"Yup." Habriel winked. "Whenever you're ready."


	36. Chapter 36

They took out their weapons, but of course they wouldn't actually harm each other. They would barely tap each other, in the long run.

Halustreg took a deep breath, in and out, to begin yelling.

"SCUM! NO HUMANS BELONG HERE, YOU KNOW THAT!" He made sure to stomp on the ground loudly and slash his swords on the ground roughly, making clanging sounds.

"Heard that before!" Habriel feigned a convincing growl. "You guys always think us humans should suffer. You're the reason why there's still a conflict!"

Halustreg had trouble keeping his composure. He gave Habriel a big, genuine thumbs-up.

"SO? YOU HUMANS NEVER GET IT IN YOUR THICK SKULLS THAT THIS ISN'T YOUR TURF," He continued his loud banter.

"Go on then!" Habriel raised his arms. He was good. "Kick me out!"

"If that's what you want, it's what you'll DAMN well get!" Halustreg yelled hoarsely, mildly amused by the irony of the whole situation. He wielded his swords and ran up to Habriel, slashing the ground beside him, throwing up debris.

Habriel pretended to get some dirt in his eyes and took a couple steps back. Halustreg shot in and grabbed hold of Habriel, looking like he was gonna tackle him. Habriel jumped back, making it look like he fell.

'Where are the jesters?' Halustreg mouthed to Habriel, concerned.

He growled and held up the swords, ready to slash the ground beside the boy's body.

"Let's keep going." Habriel said. "They might not have heard us, yet. Start using magic."

'What kind would make the most noise...?' He thought to himself, trying to come up with the most annoyingly loud attacks.

It would be a fireball, or lots of them. He conjured countless and got to work.

He tossed them rapidly, trying his best to impact the ground to make the sound resonate.

Countless explosions were made. Loud enough for the entire city to hear.

Halustreg kept looking at his false opponent, hoping the jesters would just come out of hiding already.

All eyes and ears were scanning around the two. All that could be heard was the jinlging of some bells and footsteps.

It was time for their act to heighten to the point of capture. Halustreg and Habriel noticed the jangling and continued. Halustreg was getting to the point of pretending to fatally wound his opponent.

Habriel cut his cheek and smeared the blood all over himself to make it look like he got stabbed.

Halustreg didn't realize he'd actually hurt himself.

'What? But we weren't going to...' He thought, his face indicating his thoughts for a moment.

The noise got closer. Halustreg gave a fairly convincing laugh/taunt.

What came out horrified the goat monster. Have came out with a hostage. Holding a knife against the innocent monster's throat.

Habriel noticed Halustreg's expression immediately, and turned around to look at what he was seeing.

He stared in abject horror. Gacy had taken one of the local residents and there was no sign of Sommers.

'What the-?' Both of them stared directly at Gacy and the terridied local in his grasp.

"We ain't fallen for any charade!" Gacy laughed. "Now if you wanna-" he turned blue before he could say anything else and was lifted into the air. The local ran away, terrified.

"not fallin' for anything, eh?" Sans came out of hiding, a big smirk plastered across his features.

"we'll see bout that." the jester went flying into the air, crashing into the ceiling above, he was stuck there.

Habriel got up. "I'll go find Sommers." He said.

"I'll.. go check on Frisk," Halustreg said quickly, and Habriel and Sans nodded.

Toriel decided to go with Habriel since everyone else seemed to have everything covered. They slowly made their way down an alley, keeping an ear out for more bells. "Come on out Sommers." Habriel said. "There's no point in dragging this out."

Halustreg walked along towards where Frisk was stationed, hoping that Sommers hadn't found them before anyone else did.

Frisk popped their head out and hurried to Halustreg. "Have you seen him?" they asked the goat monster.

\-------------------------------

Habriel slowly made his way down to the end of the alley with Toriel right behind him. A purple scythe appeared from the corner and slashed downwards to Habriel. The boy just barely dodged it as the blade burried into the ground. Sommers used the handle as leverage to generate more power with a kick. Habriel covered his upper body with his arms, blocking it.

The jester was stronger than he looked. The kick pushed Habriel back quite a bit, he barely managed to stand his ground. The jester was about to attack again when Habriel grabbed him and threw him against the wall. The jester scurried away and disappeared into the shadows.

A maniacal laugh echoed around the boy and he slumped his shoulders, signing. "Great..." He muttered as he watched his surroundings.

"Where'd he go?!" Toriel whispered, doing the same as her son.

They kept looking around for the maniac in the dark.

A skeletal hand reached out and grabbed Habriel by the shoulders. Habriel snapped and turned around but a finger was placed over his lips. It was Seraph. The specter sushed him and let the finger off his lips. He indicated the jester was inside the buildings beside him.

Habriel turned to his mother and pointed to the buildings, and she realized what he meant. They proceeded towards the structures quietly.

"He's waiting for you..." Seraph whispered and vanished.

"No, I haven't seen him, why? What's the matter?" Frisk asked Halustreg, voice beginning to pitch higher at the possibilities.

"Gacy saw through our ruse, but Sans caught him with magic. Now Habriel and his mom are looking for Sommers," Halustreg explained.

"I hope they catch him soon..." Halustreg sighed. "Who knows what that maniac's up to....?"

Habriel and Toriel walked through the building quietly, their footfalls barely making

any sounds at all. This is exactly what they wanted when it came to sneaking up on a monster like

Sommers. He was clever.

Seraph appeared again and pointed upward. Sommers was above them inside the building.

"Oh, thanks," Habriel mouthed to the specter, who nodded and vanished.

Toriel followed close behind Habriel, hoping that things would end quickly.

Seraph was beside them. "The roof." He whispered.

"Seraph, you're gonna be the one who gives me a heart attack," Habriel whispered jokingly, holding his chest, pretending to catch his breath.

Making it to the roof, Habriel saw the jester having a monster tied to a table over a cutting board. The jester chuckled with the butcher knife. "Need more LV..." Sommers muttered to himself.

Toriel's breath caught in her throat; at this point, she should have been used to something like this by now, but she just couldn't get past it. Habriel stared on, determined to end this.

"Nighty night!" Sommers giggled. Habriel threw a violet knife and knocked the butcher knife out of the jester's hand. Before Sommers could do anything, Habriel tackled him and forced his hands behind his back.

Toriel untied the poor monster, setting him free.

"Run," She said. "Habriel, I'm getting Alphys," she told him, her phone in hand.

"Alright." Habriel said. "Let's get someone to properly restrain him."

"What about Halustreg? You think he can do that?" She asked, changing the number on her phone.

"Yeah, I think so." Habriel said. "He's captured a couple bad guys before. He should know how to restrain them."

She called him and got him on the line.

"Halustreg, we found him," She said, staring at her son and the jester.

"You did?" Halustreg gasped. "Great! Where?"

She described the area and sent coordinates to him, though that may not have been very helpful.

Halustreg tracked the coordinates down and managed to find them on the roof. He was smarter than Toriel gave him credit for.

"Oh, good," She sighed. He saw Habriel holding Sommers back almost immediately; it was a sight hard to miss, quite honestly. The jester stood out like a sore thumb.

"You'll pay for-"

"Shut up." Habriel slammed the jester's head into the ground. Halustreg came over and gagged the jester. Using his scarf to tie his hands and carry him over his shoudler.

"Now just to worry about the other one," Habriel huffed. "Sans has him pinned, I know that for sure."

The smiling skeleton was sweating. He wasn't used to using his magic for so long.

"Sans, we're coming to help," Toriel told him on the phone as they traveled back towards where Gacy emerged. Frisk was going there too, knowing now where everyone was.

"alright, thanks...." He muttered over the phone. He was getting tired.

They called Alphys and she set out of the lab with her equipment to catch these foul monsters. She hurried out of Hotland and onto the River Person's boat to Snowdin.

Everyone made it to Sans, watching as he was sweating profusely from holding the jester up for so long.

Gacy laughed loudly at the group below him as he finally started to fall. Sans couldn't hold it, anymore. The jester materialized a scythe aiming, looking at Frisk dead in their eyes.

"You're mine!" he laughed. However multiple violet knives came flying at him through the palms of his hands, knocking the scythe out. He landed right on his head and was immediately surrounded by a circle of fire.

Toriel had him cornered.

"Don't touch the child," Toriel grunted, keeping the fire going.

"You don't get a say in it!" Gacy snarled. He materialized another scythe and ran right through the fire. Coming for Habriel, this time. Habriel tried to get away, but Gacy threw the scythe and tackled him. Setting them both on fire.

Habriel threw the jester off of him and looked rolled across the ground putting the fire out. Gacy got up, not caring about his condition.

Toriel threw balls of fire at Gacy to knock him off his feet hopefully. She tried everything she had to get him away from the kids.

Habriel threw multiple knives at the jester. Aiming at the hands, feet and limbs. The knives got caught into the ground. He couldn't move anymore.

Alphys arrived shortly, huffing and heaving the heavy equipment along beside her as quick as she could.

She wiped the sweat off her brow and adjusted her glasses, surprised they were able to get the jesters so fast.

"This outfit's REALLY cool!" Habriel looked down at it. "I didn't know she made it fire proof!"

"Wha-? Oh, yeah," Alphys groaned as she set her equipment down with a final thud on the ground. She straightened herself out, cracking her back from the hunch she adopted to carry the device.

"Thanks a lot, Alphys!" Habriel smiled as he saw the scientist. "You saved my life again!"

Her back hunched awkwardly, a sweaty mess, the doctor smiled and nodded, breathless.

"Of c-course, Habriel." She wiped her glasses lenses and looked at the two eldritch jesters seriously.

"Let's get to work."

"YOU!" A deep voice bellowed. All eyes turned to Sommers as he glared at Habriel. He managed to get the gag off himself. "You think this is over you little bastard child!?" the jester howled. "I'm getting out of this and I'm hunting you down." He started to laugh maniacally once again. "I'm gonna shove an apple down your throat and do what I did to that last human I killed! You better keep an eye open when you sleep, boy!" Blood leaked from his mouth. "You're my next meal!"

Halustreg had his large, fluffy hands over the sides of Frisk's head to keep them from hearing the sanguinary speech. But they were horrified anyway; they didn't need to hear the words coming out to understand the tone in the creature's eyes and the wretched smile stretching across his maniacal features.

"Wait, the last human you killed?" Habriel said. "You....did what?" The jester's grin grew wider. Habriel was more than disturbed.

Toriel was ready to incinerate this freak of nature.

Alphys adjusted a few knobs on her machine which she set up a few feet away from the horrid things, preparing it for the job it was made for. Taking out the trash.

"You're next." Sommers chuckled darkly. Looking Habriel dead in the eyes.

"Alright, I think it's ready to go," Alphys stated mechanically, as if trying to stay level-headed against Sommers' words slamming her brain.

"My God...." Habriel muttered. He had a newfound fear of the jester. He was really going to be eaten that one time. He sat down, sweating.

"You guys ready?" Alphys asked the good crowd.

"Yeah..." Halustreg said. Alphys pushed a button and an orange gas enveloped the jesters. They couldn't move or speak, completely paralyzed.

"Alright," Doctor Alphys used another part of the device to capture the souls of the monsters themselves, and the bodies were left lying on the ground before them.

"I have the souls. We need to destroy the bodies now."

Toriel gladly set the dolls on fire. Terrifying her son, and possibly traumatizing him. She didn't know how she could forgive them.

"I'm sorry, my child," She said watching the blaze. "I just... I don't know if I can ever forgive them for what they've done and said."

"Yeah...." Habriel sighed looking up at her. "I.....don't know if I can, either...."

Toriel hugged her son. "I'm sorry, my child."

He hugged her tightly. He would have said it's okay, but it wasn't. None of this was. "I'm sorry, too...." He said.

Alphys made sure the machine was sealed and shut down. She sighed.

"Well, they should be taken care of for a good while, if it ever fails to keep them," She said. "But I doubt it'll fail."

"thanks, alph." Sans put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. Making his way to his girlfriend and her son. "you need anything?" he asked. "especially you, kid. ya seem pretty spooked. least i can do is give ya something ta help you feel better."

Halustreg had let go of Frisk and neither said anything until it was over and done with.

"I... don't know," Habriel sighed.

"aight, if ya change yer mind, just let me know." Sans winked. "how bout you, tori?" he asked. "need anything?"

She hugged him too, shuddering.

"Just this is fine," She murmured. Halustreg and Frisk walked over, shaken as well.

"heh..." He hugged back and smiled. "anything for you, tori...."

"Well, see ya around," Halustreg nudged Habriel.

"Glad that's over with."

"Yeah, don't take this the wrong way, Halustreg...." Habriel said. "But, I'd rather you be my enemy."

"What? Why?" The goat monster changed his tone. "I don't understand."

"You won't try to eat me." Habriel said.

"...what?" He stared blankly.

"I preferred when it was just me and you going at it." Habriel said. "You know, when we were rivals, we weren't trying to kill each other. Those guys are much worse than you. You were doing what you thought was right, but them....they only wanted to see me....on their plates....What I'm trying to say is that I wish I never had to deal with them...."

Halustreg stared at him, understanding but sort of hurt.

"Not that there's anything wrong with us being allies." Habriel said. "It's just that neither of us were trying to kill each other and weren't in danger."

"Right."

Alphys dragged the heavy metal machine back with her the way she came, making sure that when she got there, she'd store the souls somewhere secure.

"I wanna thank everyone who got involved." Habriel said. "I really couldn't do this without you. I really appreciate your time and effort put into this."

Frisk tottered around aimlessly, tapping the fat end of the baseball bat to the ground by their feet. They seemed shell-shocked, not quite sure how to process the previous events.

Habriel put a hand on their shoulder and knelt down. He reached out and hugged them.

They reciprocated the gesture, one hand on his back, the other still clutching the wooden bat.

"I'm sorry, Frisk...." Habriel muttered. "I wish I could do something to help you get over that...."

"'Ts fine."

"None of this is fine..." He muttered, hugging them tightly.

The bat fell, clattering on the ground.

"...yeah."

"Let's go home." Habriel said, standing up.

Halustreg waved and departed in the opposite direction of the family.

They made their way back to Toriel's house. Beaten down and tired.

"They shouldn't be a threat anymore," Toriel muttered as she opened the door for her children.

"Hopefully that's the last of them..." Habriel slumped on the couch. "I don't know how much more I can take...."

"Me neither," Toriel, Frisk, and Marion all said simultaneously, then looked at each other.

"Think you guys are gonna have nightmares?" Habriel asked. "I know I will...."

Frisk nodded more vigorously than necessary, and Marion agreed.

"Let's hope not," Toriel sighed.

"How're the rest of you feeling?" Habriel asked.

"Tired," Marion said, sitting on the couch.

"Relieved, honestly," Toriel answered.

"Hard to say," Frisk replied.

"Yeah..." Habriel said. "I think I'm all of the above...."

For a while, they all sat together silently, watching whatever nonsense was on the television to get their mind  
A light-hearted anime seemed to have helped Frisk feel better. They started giggling at the antics going on in the show.

As the children gradually relaxed, their mother did so as well.

"I'm getting a glass of water." Habriel said while getting up. "Anyone want anything?"

"No thanks," Frisk shook their head.

The others didn't need anything either.

"Alright." Habriel went into the kitchen where Seraph just so happened to have been minding his own business.

"Oh, hello," Habriel said absentmindedly as he poured himself some water.

Seraph looked over and nodded his head, greeting the boy. "I'm guessing you're too tired to face your ancestors tonight." he said.

"Yeah..." Habriel said. "I'm gonna need a break tonight."

"Alright..." Seraph looked down at the ground.

"Hey..." Habriel said. Seraph turned to face him. "Thanks....for helping me and mom...."

"...You're welcome," Seraph muttered, trying to continue to act like he wasn't phased.

"Alright, well....I'll leave you alone." Habriel said, returning to his family.

He went back to join his family at the television once more.

'Didn't expect that,' Seraph thought to himself.

"Hey guys." Habriel said as he made it back. "Saw Seraph in the kitchen..."

 

"What's he up to?" Frisk asked groggily.

"He's just floating around, really..." Habriel said. "I thanked him for helping us. I don't think we could have stopped the jester's without him. On top of that, he helped mom save my life..."

"True..." Marion nodded. "It's odd. It's almost like he's not trying to bother people anymore. But let's not get our hopes up just yet."

"He wants to be free of this curse just as much as I do." Habriel said. "Maybe he realized that helping me might get him closer to that. Though it'll be hard, physically and mentally...."

"Why?" Marion asked.

"If we want to end this curse, now...." Habriel said. "And not let it get to anyone again....I have to...wipe out the Clemens bloodline...."

"That's out of the question," Toriel turned to her son, grim.

"Yeah..." Habriel rubbed the back of his neck. "Problem with that is that I don't really have a choice. Only ones left as far as we know are me and my dear old dad. And well.....he's....part of the Cathedral. Seraph told me..."

"But that's why you're going up there, right?" Toriel asked in a serious tone.

"But..."

"Believe me, I wish that they didn't exist and the world was all sunshine and rainbows..." Habriel said. "But....you know how it is....I can't just ignore them and leave all those other kids behind. They deserve a life like mine. And if I have to go through my old man.....so be it..."

"But, I mean... you don't have to die yourself, do you?" They were all quiet.

Nobody knew how to answer.

Habriel was silent and looked down at the ground. "That all depends on if your idea works or not..." he said. "The one with Asriel and the seven souls, that is...."

"Right. We gotta make sure to try," Toriel sighed.

"Sorry to bring down the mood." Habriel wore a sad expression, looking at his mother. "Let's watch more tv...."

"We should talk to Chara and Flowey soon," Frisk muttered.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've seen them." Habriel said. "I think your week is coming up." he turned to his mother.

"It better," She said, rolling her eyes. "They are my children, too."

Meanwhile at Alphys' lab, she managed to lock away the ghosts safely in their own chambers with that paralysis gas being pumped inside. She was a little unsettled with having them so close, but she's had more disturbing things roam her lab. Sitting in her computer chair, she looked at the camera monitors to see a figure slowly walking towards her lab. It seemed to be around Habriel's height and rather skinny.

She squinted and checked to see if she had something wrong with her glasses lenses, but there was nothing wrong with them. She stared back at the monitor, not understanding.

The figure stopped at her front door. "Hello?" a voice said, knocking. "Is anyone home? I need to see the royal scientist."

She began to sweat, but she wasn't sure why. She was nervous.

'Should I answer the door?' She thought to herself before turning on the speaker outside and answering.

"H-hello?"

"Please, can you help me?" The figure said. "My mom. She's really hurt and I'm too scared to move her. Please, you have to help me!"

"Uhh, why do you need me? There are plenty of royal g-guards around capable of helping," She replied quickly. She wasn't sure if she trusted this.

"Please..." he said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a computer chip and plugged into the system operating the door. "open the door." he pulled out his phone and the door swung open.

"Ehh?!" She swiveled in her chair instantly, eyes wide.

"Sorry doc." The monster said as he pulled out a taser gun. Shooting Alphys. "Ain't nothing personal. My friends just gotta proceed to check out." he made his way to the elevator to the true lab.

She seized and all went dark.

Making his way down to the true lab. He went over to the chambers where he saw the ghosts in their pathetic state. He put another chip into the machine holding them and pulled out his phone. In a push of a button, the chambers opened.

Walking through Hotland, Undyne happened to see the lab door opened, which was exceptionally strange, as her girlfriend never left the door open like that. Feeling that something was wrong, she called up Kaizer to check it out with her.

The skeleton appeared right by her side, ready for trouble. "I'm here." he said.

"Alphys never leaves the lab open," Undyne said, looking at the building from the distance.

"I don't trust this."

"I'll check it out." he said, heading closer to the lab and looked back at Undyne. "Coming?"

"Yeah," She followed him as they approached the building, now less welcoming than ever.

As soon as they came inside they saw Alphys on the floor and Charabdyss crying in his crib.

"ALPHYS!" Undyne rushed over to see if she was alive.

Kaizer went over to check on the baby, meanwhile.

Undyne sighed; her girlfriend had a pulse and was breathing slowly.

"Wonder who did this..." Kaizer muttered. Everyone heard the elevator coming up.

"We're about to find out...." Undyne growled.

They braced themselves, forming weapons as they awaited what would exit the elevator.

The elevator opened up, it was empty.

They stared at the empty elevator carriage and then looked at each other, tensing up.

Undyne held her spear, slowly walking inside. Kaizer watched and waited outside the elevator in case the previous occupants had somehow already left the elevator without detection. A taser gun shot from above, hitting Undyne. They were in the shaft. Kaizer jumped and readied his weapon. He wasn't going to risk entering the elevator carriage directly anymore as he saw the danger.

Two ghosts phased through the walls and caught him by surprise. Knocking him to the ground as they overwhelmed him. The hacker jumped through from above and landed gracefully on his feet. He chuckled as he walked up to Kaizer.

"Who are you?" the skeleton asked.

"You can call me Limbo." the hacker said. "My real name isn't important."

"Why did you set these free?" Kaizer referred to the ghosts, knowing what had happened to Habriel and his family. He had communication with Frisk via cell phone while they were alone.

"Us war veterans were tossed aside to the streets when we were sealed here." Limbo said. Pulling off his hood, he revealed himself to be a dog monster. One that resembled a Doberman. "The boss brought us all together and made us all one big happy family." He stood up. "I'm sure you understand."

"You don't need these two for that," Kaizer stated sternly.

"Sorry friend." Limbo sighed. "That's where you're wrong. We're all that's left and we need to stick together " He started to walk away. "See you around."

Undyne groaned from the tile floor, bringing her to Kaizer's attention as Limbo walked away all-too casually.

"Undyne..." Kaizer groaned trying to get up. He was too weak.

"Alphys...." Undyne muttered. "Charabdyss...."

The tiny infant continued to wail from his crib, balling his hands into fists, screwing his eyes shut.

Undyne groaned again, flipping herself so she lay on her back.

"Where'd he go?" She asked, her exhausted voice tinged with strained urgency.

"He escaped..." Kaizer said weakly, trying to get up again. "I'll check on Charabdyss, you check Alphys...."

The doctor just began to wake up then, as well. The two warriors looked over as best as they could upon hearing a weak groan from over at the computer chair. Alphys held her body where she was hit with the taser and opened her eyes.


	37. Chapter 37

"Alph!" Undyne mustered whatever strength she had to get up and make her way to the doctor. "Are you okay!?"  
"Undyne?" The lizard stuttered and looked up at her partner, stunned.  
"Last thing I saw was a kid..." She motioned weakly towards the door with her hand. "He said that his mother was hurt... opened the door..."  
"That bastard...." Undyne growled, looking at what he did to her lover. "He'll regret this...."  
"I was scared b-because I didn't recognize him, so I tried to keep the door locked. I didn't realize he could override them..." She held her head as she sat up in the chair, disoriented.

"At least you didn't fall for it." Undyne said. "Shame he broke in anyway...."  
"It was too suspicious... I mean, who goes to the royal scientist to help their mother to their feet when there's royal guards way stronger than me?" She asked, acknowledging the blunt absurdity of the situation.  
Undyne snickered. "Seriously? How stupid!"  
Kaizer willed up the strength he had to stand and check on Charabdyss as Undyne checked on

Alphys. He trudged over to the crib and rested his arms on the edge of the wooden frame, leaning over and looking down at the infant.  
The little baby sniffled and opened his yellow eyes. Now with a slight red from all the crying. "Shhhh..." He slowly reached down and picked the baby up, gently rocking him. "Don't worry, little guy..." he murmured. "I'm here...."  
"Did they tase you too?" Alphys asked, glancing around her girlfriend to see if there were any injuries visible. She noticed the skeleton by the crib.  
"Oh, K-Kaizer!"  
"It's okay..." Kaizer said. "He's sleeping...."  
Alphys relaxed a bit.  
"G-good. They didn't touch him... how are you two? Did they hurt you, too?"  
"They got me a bit, caught me off guard." Kaizer said. "Didn't hurt me as bad as you two, though..."  
"Yeah," Undyne sat in another chair nearby, feeling her head pound. She, too, felt disoriented after.  
"I've got a couple crabapples if you guys need it." Kaizer said. "They're not the best at healing, but they're something."  
"I have other things to heal us here, if you guys need," Alphys offered her girlfriend and the skeleton.  
"Thanks Alphys...." Kaizer said. He handed the baby over to Undyne.  
Alphys went to the second floor of the lab to retrieve healing items for them, searching in  
a small portable fridge and a few boxes for non-perishables that could help heal fast.  
Charabdyss woke up in Undyne's arms and reached up to hug her. He whimpered a little bit.  
She smiled at the baby and hugged him gently.  
"It'll be okay," She murmured to him, but also to herself.  
Charabdyss nuzzled Undyne and hugged her gently.  
Alphys returned shortly carrying a pile of varying snacks and foods for them to heal  
themselves with. She held bags of popato chisps, popsicles, nice cream, ramen, and other consumables as she made her way back to the first floor and approached Undyne and Kaizer.  
As soon as she made her way into the room, Charabdyss got excited and started reaching for the scientist from Undyne's arms.  
Alphys put the food all on a table for everyone to choose what they want.  
"Aw, now look who's all excited to see Mama Alphy," Undyne chuckled, handing Charabdyss  
over into Alphys' arms.  
The little baby hugged Alphys gently as well and started giggling as soon as he saw her.  
"He really likes ya." Undyne smiled.  
"Hehe, yeah, he does," She giggled, holding up the baby to look at him.  
He took her glasses off her nose and flailed his arm around, threatening to drop them, but Alphys  
had spare pairs of glasses around, and didn't worry.  
He put them back on realizing that Alphys wasn't worried at all. He nuzzled her just like he did Undyne.  
They still needed to heal, so Alphys set him back down into his crib and returned to the  
table of foods.  
"Alright, pick whatever you guys want," She said, inviting them over. Alphys opened herself a bag  
of popato chisps, and Undyne went to make herself some ramen noodles.''  
Kaizer took a bag of chisps for himself and sat down. His phone went off with another voice mail.  
"Hey dad...." a female voice said on speaker. "It's been a while...."  
Alphys and Undyne turned, hearing the message begin to play.  
Kaizer held the phone for a moment before looking up and excusing himself to listen alone.  
The others nodded and went about their business, giving him privacy.  
"So Papyrus and I went out on another date." Costantia said. "He's been great. Showing me all the neat puzzles he built and his cool room. He's a great guy, dad. I think you'd love him." She sighed. "I'm sure you're busy as usual but....I love you dad. It gets lonely when you're not around...."  
He listened intently until the message ceased. He considered calling her up in this time he had.  
He keyed in her number to call, thinking about the two ghosts that had escaped the lab.  
With Limbo in the mix, everything was so much more complicated.  
He sighed and put his phone in his coat pocket. He'd call her later. He still had to check on Undyne and Alphys.  
By now, their health was back up to normal thanks to the food Alphys had  
provided. They were holding Charabdyss again.  
"Hey, what should we do about those ghosts?" Alphys asked, exhaustion in her voice.  
"We just spent all that time trying to capture them... it all was for nothing."  
"I have no idea...." Undyne muttered. "I should have been with you the while time!" She clenched her fists. "None of this would have ever happened!"  
"It's not your fault," Alphys stuttered, flustered. "It wasn't anybody's fault! I need to amp up my tech, though..." She admitted. "With someone like that, they could probably infiltrate the most secure structures."  
"They did...." Undyne said. "Honestly, your lab is probably the most secure place in the Underground...."  
"I can improve it," Alphys thought out loud. "I can... I can try to upgrade it's security... give it more surrounding cameras, upgrade Mettaton's weapons arsenal..."  
"All great ideas." Undyne said. "I'm honestly just glad they didn't touch our baby...."  
"I'll call up Mettaton right now," Alphys had her phone in hand, calling the robot. "He's probably between filming shows..." The phone rang a few times before the fabulous bot picked up the line.  
"Alphys, dalrling! How are you, dear?" He answered, bubbly as per usual.  
"It's been a while since we last talked." He went on. "We really should meet up sometime and catch up."  
"Mettaton, are you free to come to the lab soon?" Alphys asked suddenly and bluntly,  
trying to get to the root of the conversation.  
"What? Oh, sure, darling, is there something wrong?" He asked, sounding surprised.  
"Y-yes...very wrong...." Alphys said. "I'll explain when you're here...."  
"I-I'll be right there," Mettaton hung up quickly, hurrying out of MTT Resort towards the lab.  
'What could have happened while I was gone?' He thought, alarmed.  
"So what do you plan on giving him?" Undyne asked.  
"Well you see, his main fighting form is still a prototype and isn't actually ready for real action..." Alphys said. "I call it Mettaton Neo. I plan on upgrading it, making it better...."  
"That already sounds awesome," Undyne replied.  
At that moment, Mettaton arrived at the door and requested entry, to which Alphys let him in.  
The robot walked in to see Alphys cradling an infant he had never seen before. It looked up curiously at the robot as it hugged Alphys.  
He stared at it, dumbfounded.  
"Alphys, darling, how did you and Undyne have a baby?"  
"Mettaton, you've missed out on a lot lately, and it's too much to explain right now. We've gotta  
get to work on one of your forms."  
The baby started to fall asleep and Alphys put him back in his crib. "Now let's get to work...." she said as she turned to the robot.  
"What exactly do you have in mind, darling?" Mettaton asked.  
"Well," Alphys pulled out blueprints from a desk drawer and laid them out on a table.  
"Today, someone infiltrated the lab, overriding my door locks," She explained. "He tased me.  
Since he could have done anything, and I'm worried about this place, I'd like to make you  
stronger and have more weapons."  
"My goodness, are you alright!?" Mettaton was deeply concerned for the scientist. "Do you need an ointment? Something to help cover the wound?"  
"I'm fine, I have some aloe I can put on the spot when I have the time," Alphys said absentmindedly.  
"We need to upgrade you for the sake of safety, though. I'm not strong or fast enough to defend  
myself effectively, and that's sort of where you enter the situation."  
"Of course, darling~!" Mettaton hugged her from behind. "Anything for you!"  
"I've been thinking about giving you a more advanced body with different types of armaments than before," Alphys told him. "Something more effective. Maybe you should be able to connect up to the security system itself..." She thought out loud.  
"Do whatever it takes, Alphys." Mettaton smiled. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my mo-creator."  
'Did he just call me mom!?' Alphys thought to herself.  
She chuckled, embarrassed. "Mettaton, you existed before this body did! I'm not your mom!" She laughed.  
The machine blushed and hid his face in the palms of his hands.  
"C'mon, how can you be embarrassed? You're the star here!" She teased the machine.  
"Humph!" Mettaton crossed his arms and scrunched his face. Suddenly, he grew a menacing smile. "You know Alphys. There's this one anime I adore...."  
Her face changed. "What? I thought you hated anime," She replied, unsure  
of what to make of the expression he held.  
"Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2..." His grin grew wide.  
The short scientist's face turned as red as a Carolina Reaper.  
"WHYYYYYYY?" She practically yelled, stomping a foot. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?"  
"I just love everything about it." Mettaton went on. "The animation, the story, the characters. Everything..."  
"If you don't stop, I'll never be able to upgrade you, so I'll never be safe from those  
gang members again," Alphys said bluntly, unamused by Mettaton's devilish antics.  
She wouldn't have this under her roof.  
"You and I are gonna sit down together and watch some good anime!" She huffed. "See how good your precious favorite is then..."  
"Oh, please, Alphy," Mettaton replied.  
"Please nothing!" Alphys waved an arm. "Your mom's gonna teach you what real anime is."  
"Alphy, that's really not what's important right now," Undyne chuckled, shaking her head at the silly argument.  
"In all seriousness, Mettaton, it's imperative that we upgrade you as soon as possible."  
"Yes, of course, darling." Mettaton said. "Whatever you need."  
"Alright," She seemed ready to work already, even though she had been harmed not so long ago.  
"Are you ready, Mettaton?" Alphys asked. The robot nodded his head. "Alright, let's begin."  
"Do you guys need me for anything?" Kaizer asked. "Otherwise, I'm gonna check on my daughter."  
"No, but thanks, Kaizer," Alphys smiled at the skeleton. "For coming to help."  
He nodded his head and disappeared. Going out to make sure Costantia was safe from those outlaws.  
Undyne sat in a chair a little ways away, wanting to remain with Alphys in the lab.  
She listened absentmindedly, just glad that thug was gone. Alphys began to show  
Mettaton specific plans on the blueprints; parts of arm-cannons, where he could link up with  
the security system, etc.  
"So I gotta question..." Undyne raised an arm. "How are ya gonna build this all in? It seems like a lot."  
"Uhh..." Alphys stood for a moment.  
"It'll be made of carbon-fiber, which means it'll be flexible. I'll make it fold-able."  
"Sorry if I'm butting in or something..." Undyne shrugged. "I just don't get all this science mumbo jumbo."  
"No, it's fine," Alphys smiled. She was glad that she was trying to understand as well.  
"It's great that you're trying to understand! Anyway, the fact that it'd be carbon-fiber would make it  
flexible and light-weight too. It would be really convenient."  
"Kind of crazy how you can fit all that into him." Undyne said. "Pretty cool, actually..."  
"Yeah, it is," Alphys was looking at the blueprint design.  
"The cannon will fit into his forearm here like this," She showed her girlfriend and the robot.  
"A metal slat will slid open and it will unfold out."  
"COOL!" Undyne smiled. "Like the robots in that one anime!"  
"That wasn't an anime...." Alphys giggled.  
"It wasn't?" Undyne raised an eyebrow.  
Mettaton chuckled and shook his head.  
"Come on, Undyne, you should know these things by now," He said jokingly.  
"Be quiet!" Undyne snapped. "It might not be anime, but it's still real. Right Alph?"  
"Right," Alphys reassured her.  
"Anyway, there's more than just this cannon." She pointed to another part of her image  
of Mettaton Neo. "I'd like to give you rockets to fly."  
"Oh my!" Mettaton gasped. "I sure hope I don't crash into the ceiling above...."  
"What do you mean? You already flew before, as a ghost," Alphys reasoned.  
"It should almost feel natural to you by now. It'll take a bit getting used to, but you'll do  
fine."  
"You can make the rockets function like that?" Mettaton asked. "How?"  
"When you first bonded with this body, wasn't there a time when you had to  
get acclimated to the various functions I had installed? It'll be a bit like that,"  
Alphys reassured him. "It won't be bad. If you can control what that body does, you'll  
be able to control the rockets."  
Mettaton nodded his head. Remembering to have faith in the doctor. She had done many great things; more complicated than this.  
"Anyway, is there anything you two can think of that I should install as well?"  
She asked them, wondering if they had additional ideas for the body.  
"Anyway, is there anything you two can think of that I should install as well?"  
She asked them, wondering if they had additional ideas for the body.  
"How about super strength!" Undyne suggested. "He can throw boulders at his enemies. Or laser eyes! Yeah!"  
"I don't know about those," Alphys frowned, trying to think up a way to fulfill those suggestions.  
"But I can install cameras and speakers into him to allow me to see and hear what he sees while he's  
out."  
"That honestly sounds more useful....and practical..." Mettaton muttered.  
Alphys paced around the table, trying to come up with more tech to  
make Mettaton more efficient and safe.  
Kaizer made his way back home. Slowly opening the door, he saw Costantia nuzzling with Papyrus as they watched TV together.   
He felt bad for not speaking with her for a long while, but he wasn't going to interrupt this  
moment now. He would let them have their time together, then address his daughter after.  
He came inside the house and went into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. He smiled at the two as they watched more of Mettaton's movies together.   
'That's nice,' He thought to himself. 'Better leave them alone for now.'  
"Thanks for spending the night with me, Pappy...." Costantia muttered. "It gets.....really lonely out here. All I have is dad and he's always out on the job. Even when he comes home, he spends very little time here and goes back out again..."  
Kaizer caught her words and listened sadly, not sure of what to do.  
He wanted to tell her why he was so busy all the time. But he knew he couldn't tell her. She shouldn't know what he sees and deals with every day. Some things were best kept hidden.  
'And some things are best left forgotten,' He thought to himself, wishing he had had more time with his   
daughter.  
While it was sad to see his daughter be so lonely, he knew it was best for her to have Papyrus as company. The tall skeleton could brighten anyone's day.  
'But I really need to talk to her,' He reinforced.   
He waited until the movie ended and Papyrus fell asleep to come into the room. She was flipping through channels on her remote.   
She looked up in surprise to see her father standing there. He hadn't made  
a sound.  
"Hey..." he muttered as he sat down in the sofa beside her. "How was your night with him?"  
"Good," Costantia answered, still looking at the television screen, holding the remote.  
"I might be getting a raise this month..." Kaizer said. "Get you a better tv..."  
"Wow, you get raises? Didn't know that was possible," Costantia commented.  
"Helps that I work for the King, directly..." Kaizer sighed. "Yup....things are starting to look good. So....how are you doing?"  
"I mean, it's great being with Papyrus a lot," She admitted, looking at her father finally.  
"What have you been doing?"  
"God...I wish I could tell you..." he sighed. "But-"  
"It's classified...." she sighed.   
"I'm sorry..." he said.   
He stood there for a moment, thinking about the monster who released Sommers and Gacy from their  
containment.  
"You know what?" He said. "You promise not to tell anyone?"  
"Uh, sure," Costantia wondered what he was going to say. Was it something about his job?  
"You know my job, right?" he asked. "You know what I do for a living?"  
"Sort of?" Costantia sounded like she was questioning it.  
"I know you work for the king, but that's about it. I don't know much else, though."  
"Have you heard of the Royal Espionage?" he asked.  
"The...? No, I haven't," It dawned on her.  
"What is it? Some kind of organization?"  
"Yeah....like the Sentries and the Guard." Kaizer said. "Except, they're more like spies, or we are...."  
"Oh, so you've been a spy for years? That's why I haven't talked to you much?" It  
came out more bluntly than she expected, and she said a quiet apology.  
"It still doesn't excuse me from not talking to you as much as I should..." Kaizer said.  
"I didn't mean to sound like that," The young skeleton admitted. "I'm sorry. I know your  
job is probably one of the hardest ones around."  
"It is, but I don't mind..." He shrugged. "Keeps you safe..."  
She gave a half-smile. "So, what did you wanna tell me? Something about the job?"  
"Yeah, there was something that went wrong..." he said. "Something I'm worried about..." He sat back down again.  
"So what are you going to do?" She asked, mulling over the information he dumped.  
"I'm gonna find them and stop them before they hurt anyone else..." He said. "It's risky, it'll be me vs the three of them...."  
"Isn't there anybody else as capable of fighting as you who can help?" She asked, concerned. "Dad, that's a death-wish."  
"I've got other members on my team...." Kaizer said. "But I've got them on other missions."  
His daughter exhaled, finally processing everything.  
"You shouldn't have to do it alone," She stated plainly. "That's too dangerous for one person, even if they're as strong or as skilled as you."  
"Don't give your old man enough credit." Kaizer chuckled. "I've been in sticky situations before."  
"I just said 'as strong or as skilled as you.' How much credit do you need?" She laughed.  
"I know you have, but that doesn't mean this couldn't be different."  
"Nope, not as skilled as me." Kaizer laughed. "There's a reason why I'm the leader. But yeah, I just don't know who could back me up...."  
She sighed and put her head in her hands. He explained the situation, but nothing   
helped support his problem.  
"Hopefully Undyne can help me, but she'll be all I have." Kaizer sighed.  
"When are you going to do it?" She questioned.  
"As soon as possible." Kaizer shrugged. "I want to get some sleep as soon as possible. Can't really do that, knowing they're out there...."  
Meanwhile, Alphys got to work, searching around the lab for the supplies she might have already had for the project.  
"I think I have a chip to help you gain access to security." she muttered.  
She searched around, walking upstairs to the second floor to find it.  
She managed to find the blueprints for the device. She came back downstairs and went to work.  
"Mettaton, would you prefer to remain outside the body as I work?" she asked, just before beginning her work process. "You can always watch from a distance."  
"Hmm.." the robot never likes going through these out of body experiences. But he had to, to help the doctor. He sighed and did as he was asked. Leaving his robotic body.  
"S-sorry, it's just, I don't want you to feel pain or anything while I'm doing this," She apologized to the ghost.  
"It's fine, darling." Mettaton waved it off. "I'd do anything for you. After all, you gave me my life."  
"You didn't need the body to be a star," Alphys waved off the remark quickly. "You have your talents without it."  
"But it was your talents that got me here." Mettaton insisted. "Really, I owe you everything."  
She had no response, so she blushed and worked.  
After some time, the machine had finished building the upgrade she uploaded into there. Carefully taking it out, she went to work on the robot body.  
She laid the body on a table and cut open a plate in the arm to fit one of the new mechanisms.  
"So cool...." Undyne muttered from behind Alphys. She watched over the doctor's shoulder.  
"C-cool?" She stuttered, blushing while she worked. She put the cutter down and looked back at her diagram, showing the parts she would install.  
"Yeah." Undyne said. "You can just put these things on and you make it look so easy. You are friggin cool!"  
"Th-thank you," She stuttered. She pulled up metal parts she had fashioned in the shapes of the interlocking parts for the arm cannon and placed them above the opening in the arm, checking to see how they'd fit.  
"I wonder if you can do something like that with my armor..." Undyne rested a finger on her chin. "What if you can make giant swords come out of my armor!?" She gasped starry eyed.  
"M-m-maybe," Alphys blushed more, resting the metal parts inside the hole for a moment.  
"Maybe!?" Undyne gasped. "You could!? You're the best, Alph!"  
She took out the metal and set it aside, pulling out a handful of screws and a screwdriver to put it together.  
"So while Mettaton is around guarding you, I'm guarding the baby, right?" Undyne asked.  
"Yeah," Alphys nodded.   
She began to align the pieces on the table and began to screw the parts together.  
"Alright." Undyne knelt down and gave the scientist a little kiss on the cheek.   
Alphys's face flushed red, and the ghost by them chuckled.  
"Darling, she'll never finish at this point," He laughed.  
"Right." Undyne rubbed the back of her neck, awkwardly. "Sorry!" She gave a toothy grin.  
They laughed.   
Alphys, still burning red, continued her work like nothing happened.  
"Want a water, Alph?" Undyne asked as she made her way to the fridge.  
"N-no thanks," She shook her head. "I don't wanna spill," She gestured to the machine on the table before her, which sprawled out across the flat surface.  
She was getting finished on adding the upgrade to the machine.   
"My my, Alphys." Mettaton looked over. "You really outdone yourself, this time."  
"Nah," She shook her head. "Just... trying to do good work."  
"Well, if this will help me protect my dearest Alphy." he said. "It's worth it."  
"Oh, please," She shook her head, blushing again.   
"Mettaton, c'mon. Plus, that wasn't all of it. I still have the rockets and whatnot."  
"I forgot about the rockets!" Undyne choked. "That's so awesome!"  
"It'll take a while," Alphys sighed. "I just have to figure out how it'd be charged up, renewed, and attached to the body."  
"And not blow up the Underground..." Mettaton added.  
"Ye of little faith!" She mock-gasped. "More like: to calculate how well they'd keep you in the air, to figure out how heavy your body would be for it, to figure out where they should go."  
"Alright..." Mettaton said.   
Back in the Ruins, everyone got ready for bed and continued to watch TV together. Frisk had the wonderful idea to give everyone sleeping bags and they'd all have a sleepover downstairs.  
Frisk came down the stairs in their pajamas dragging their slug-like sleeping back behind their feet.  
"Hey Frisk." Habriel said, back on the couch. Everyone was watching one of Mettaton's shows.  
They dragged the sleeping back which was a bit heavy for them until they reached the sofa, let it lie on the ground, and plopped themself on the couch beside their brother.  
Habriel wrapped an arm around them as they sat together. Frisk hugged him gently as they watched tv.  
"Just a few more episodes, then we'll go to bed," Toriel reminded them.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alphys screwed the last piece together and the cannon was set. She carefully placed it inside the arm crevice and began to screw it to the inside of the arm itself, beginning to sweat.  
"Wait, I thought we were sleeping down here..." Frisk said.  
"I mean, we'll go to sleep here," Toriel corrected herself.  
"Oh okay..." Frisk said. They didn't want to sleep alone, tonight.  
The parts clicked perfectly into place in the arm, and she unfolded and folded it to test the mobility.  
"Alright..." She mumbled to herself.  
"Excellent!" Mettaton clapped his ghostly hands. "You did wonderful, Alphy!"  
"Gotta start the next part..." She muttered aloud.  
"Alphys, darling! Get some rest!" Mettaton insisted. "You've worked on this for a while."  
She blinked and stared at the body on the table, then at Mettaton's ghost. She noticed Undyne was drooping in her seat.  
"Get some sleep, Alph." Mettaton said. "I won't let anyone hurt you, even without my body."  
She yawned and looked over to her girlfriend sleeping in the chair.  
"What about Undyne?" She asked.  
"I'll wake her up if things get really bad." Mettaton said. "No one would want to deal with a grumpy Undyne."  
"True," Alphys stood up weakly, and started to walk towards the stairs to go up to her bed.  
She glanced back at the body on the table, then at Mettaton, concerned.  
"What if someone destroys your body?" She asked.  
"I'll live until a new one comes." Mettaton said. "Don't worry about me. Get some rest."  
She nodded, smiling, and retired to the upstairs, where she barely got ready for bed before  
she fell onto the soft mattress and was out cold.  
Back in the Ruins, Toriel had shut off the tv and everyone was asleep together. None of them could have possibly slept alone that night.  
Frisk's sleeping bag lay right beside the couch long-ways. Toriel slept near them, and Habriel near her.  
Marion slept right next to Habriel. She was facing directly at him the whole night. She didn't want him out of her sights before falling asleep.  
After the Sommers and Gacy fiasco, she was comforted by the sight of her resting family.  
Habriel that night simply hoped he would fall asleep. He didn't care if he had even the worst nightmares. He just didn't want to think about the jesters.  
He lay on his back, and he turned his head side to side, looking at those around him.  
On one side, he saw his lover, peaceful. The other, he saw Frisk getting consumed by their heat-trapping   
sleeping bag, and they sweat profusely. Only their nose, eyes, and bangs could be seen through  
the puffy opening of the suffocating cocoon.   
He adjusted it slightly, making it easier for them to breathe. He wanted someone to sleep comfortably tonight.  
Now that their mouth had some air too, they mouthed the words 'thank you' to him.  
He smiled and turned his head to the side. Looking up at the ceiling. There was Seraph. Motioning for him to get up.  
Habriel was unamused. He stared at the specter straight-faced, his brows furrowed in tired frustration. This was no time for whatever Seraph was planning.  
"Get up." Seraph insisted. "It's important."  
Habriel scowled and grunted at him. He had just settled down.  
"Get up!" Seraph hissed. "A human is on their way!"  
Habriel shot up silenlty, staring at Seraph.  
"What do you mean, 'a human is on their way?'" He hissed.  
"A human child fell through the hole and are badly injured." Seraph growled. "So unless you want your demon to kill them, I suggest you get to them first."  
He sat up and stood silently, tip-toeing around his family until he got towards the door.  
He had to see this.  
Making his way out of the door, he saw that his demon was no longer right out the front door.


	38. Chapter 38

"Is there a way to call it to me?" Habriel asked Seraph as he made his way towards the flower garden.

"Think it." Seraph said. "Command it with your mind. Tell it to come to you."

He did as he was told, hoping that it would work. He hoped that it didn't already find the fallen human before he did.

He focused more and more. Demanding that it return to him. He wanted to give up until he heard sobbing.

He sighed in relief as the demonic child approached from a distance. 

It sobbed, seemingly undisturbed by anything. This helped calm Habriel down.

Soon, it was back right in front of him. He continued on towards the flower patch to see this fallen human, as Seraph said.

There he was. A very tiny child in torn jeans, a ripped shirt. He had long black hair with a black blindfold over himself. 

Habriel approached cautiously, and called out, "Hello?"

The boy gasped and looked around. Completely confused. He seemed to have struggled to know where he is as he placed his hand in every direction.

"Want me to take that off for you?" Habriel offered, referring to the blindfold.

"Huh?" the boy said. "Oh uh...no thank you..." He stood up and shivered, standing awkwardly within the flowers. 

"What happened to you?" Habriel asked, standing a few feet away.

"I don't know..." the boy said. "I've been wandering around for a long time. Got lost and I tripped and fell. It really hurt..."

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Habriel asked, approaching closer. 

"I..." the boy almost dropped to his knees. However, Habriel caught him and offered a shoulder.

"Here," Habriel helped him up and kept him steady. "Why do you have that blindfold on?" He asked, hoping not ot offend or open painful memories.

"Well..." the boy said. "I can't see. Because well...I don't know. I've always been like this."

"You never took it off before?" He asked, shocked.

"Well, I don't really want to." the boy said. "I kinda like it. Makes me feel....safe..."

"Here, I'll help you," Habriel offered, allowing the boy to use his shoulder to lean on as they stood and walked.  
"So... can you sense things in any other way?" He asked the younger boy.

"Well...not really." The boy said. "I don't think so...."

Habriel sighed. "Alright, where did you come from?" He asked, leading him away from the flower garden towards home.

"I don't really remember..." the boy sighed sadly. "I remember walking, falling and that's it...."

"Hmmm...." Habriel stopped for a moment with the boy.  
"I live down here with a really nice monster," Habriel told him. "She took me in without issue. Do you think you wanna live here?" He asked.

"I don't know..." the boy said. "Is there any room for me? And did you say....monster?" he began to shiver.

"Oh, that's just a name for a species," Habriel waved it off. "She's really generous and kind and I think there would be room for you."

"Oh okay...." the boy said. "I've always heard monsters were scary and would try to eat me..."

"They're not like that at all," Habriel chuckled. "She was actually concerned and took care of me the first time we met. She found me bleeding," He explained. "But that's not important."

"She became a mother to me..." Habriel said.

"Wow...." the boy muttered. He seemed fascinated.

"So what do you think?" Habriel asked the boy. "You said you didn't have anywhere to go?"

"I mean, I don't know...." the boy seemed tired. "I just go wherever I can..."

"I'm sorry," Habriel sighed. "I just hope I can help."

"Thanks." the boy chirped. Habriel didn't know much. But he knew there was something with this boy and he needed a place to stay.

So he dutifully helped the boy to the cozy house situated in the purple ruins.

"Where are we?" the boy asked. "The ground feels different..."

"Well, this place is called the Ruins," Habriel replied, still helping him all the way. "It has a pretty flat ground and walls with paths. Because monsters were put here from humans, they put multiple puzzles to trip humans up, which my mother taught me to solve," He said.

"That sounds hard..." the boy said. "How can I learn to solve them?"

"Well, for now, we'll help you whenever we have to go somewhere," He exhaled. "It's not that bad, really. But it will be difficult without a visual," He sighed, trying to think of something that could help the boy.

"I'm sure we'll think of something." Habriel said as he was getting closer to Toriel's house.

"What's your name, by the way?" He asked. "My name's Habriel Clemens. My mom's Toriel."

"I don't know...." the boy said.

"Oh," Habriel frowned. "We... let's take care of that when we get to the house," He said.

They made it back and Habriel carefully made it past the demon who was sobbing quietl to itself. Creaking the door open and letting him inside.

"Mom?" Habriel called out, and he was answered momentarily.   
Toriel called in from the other room, "Yes, my child?"  
The boy could hear the gentle sweetness in her voice, as well as her proper tone and kindness.

From that he could tell she really was friendly. He smiled in response. 

Toriel came in and was surprised. "Oh, who is this, my child?" She asked Habriel.

"A blind kid." Habriel said. "Doesn'thave a name, either."

"You poor dear," Toriel sighed. "We can give you a name, if you'd like. Unless you have one in mind."

"I don't really know..." the boy said. "I don't think I know any names." the boy tilted his head. "Don't parents name children? Is there a parent nearby?"

"I am one, my child," Toriel replied warmly. 

"Oh..." the boy smiled in the direction he heard the lady's voice. "What will you name me?"

"Let's see..." Toriel paced, considering a variety of names for the boy.

"Will I get a human name or a monster name?" the boy asked.

"I mean, there isn't quite a divide between them," Toriel replied, trying to think still.   
"A name's just a name, no matter what species person it is."

"Oh really?" the boy asked. "What's my name gonna be, then?"

"I'm trying to think of one for you, my child," Toriel responded.

"I can't wait to have a name." the boy smiled.

"How about..." She stood still. "How about... Azo Dreemurr?" She asked the boy.

"Azo?" the boy repeated his name a few times. "Drem....Dreeem...Dremer..."

"Dreemurr is my last name," she explained.

"Oh..." The boy said. He looked at Habriel. "Is that your last name, too?"

Habriel paused for a moment. He was gonna say no, but he's been with his family for a while now. He had already cut ties with his old one.

"Well, I used to have a different last name," Habriel replied.

"It used to be Clemens." he said. "But I've made a decision. I want to be a Dreemurr. They're more like family than my blood, anyway."

"Oh, okay," the boy nodded, taking in the information. 'Then this lady mus be really nice,' he thought.

"You're gonna like it here." Habriel smiled. "Mom makes really good food. And there's tons of things we can do together."

He smiled earnestly. "Thank you," he said.

Toriel played the names of her children in her head smiling. 'Azo, and Habriel Dreemurr....' she thought.

Azo felt more comforted now that he actually met and got to know two people who were friendly and welcoming him in with open arms.

Habriel led him to the couch and helped him sit down. Wrapping a blanket around him.

"Here," Habriel helped him. Toriel asked Azo why he had the blindfold on, as did Habriel before.

"Oh well...I can't see and this makes me feel safe." the boy said. "So I always wear it."

"You mean you're blind, my child?" Toriel asked, not knowing how to help him. She wanted to know how he got there, but with this response, she suspected he merely fell.   
"Did you have a family on the surface?"

"Mmm...no..." the boy said. "I've been wandering around for a while and tripped. The fall really hurt, but Habriel found me and brought me here."

"Well I'm relieved that he found you," She smiled at Habriel. "If you were worried before, you're pretty safe now. Now we can help you when you need."

"Oh! Thank you!" the boy smiled.

"I just wonder where you came from and why you're blind... we'll try to help you sense where things are."

"Well...I don't really know...." the boy said. "I've always been like this...."

"Perhaps you were born with this, then, my child..." She trailed off, thinking about how the poor child was probably going everywhere not knowing where he was up on the surface.

"But wait, how have you been taking care of yourself?" Frisk asked.

"With difficulty," Azo replied simply.

"Oh..." Frisk was confused but didn't seem to question the boy. They didn't think he could give a good enough explanation, anyway.

"Anyway, make yourself at home," Toriel smiled. "Are you hungry?"

"Mhmm!" the boy nodded his head.

"What would you like?" She was ready to head into the kitchen.

"Oh I don't know...." the boy said. "Anything, really."

She went to make him a sandwich, since she wasn't sure what else she should give him at the moment. 

"Thanks!" Azo smiled as he took a bite out of the sandwich.

Frisk wondered how this boy even walked up Mt. Ebbott the entire time without seeing. If he was blind, he would have probably fallen off the cliffside or something. At least, that's what they suspected.

They wondered if the boy somehow had some magical ability to know his way around and he just doesn't know about it.

"So... how was it climbing the mountain? Since you can't see?" They asked Azo.

"Oh...a little bumpy and pretty hard." he said talking with his mouth full.

"And you never fell?" They asked, getting suspicious.

"I did...a lot..." he seemed a little sad. "But I don't know. I kept going..."

'Oh boy...' They thought. It didn't sound right. He couldn't possibly know where he was going, let alone make it up the entire mountainside in one piece.

"Well it's a good thing you ended up here." Habriel said. 

Azo finished his sandwich, having enjoyed it heartily. He hadn't eaten anything like that in forever.

"Your name is Frisk, right?" Azo looked at the child who was still suspicious.

"Huh? Yeah, how'd you know?" They asked, surprised. Their heart beat rose, thumping hard in their chest. For some reason, they were getting more uneasy about this.

"Oh uh Habriel said your name." Azo said. "I guessed you were Frisk..." Frisk noticed he was sweating. But no one else did.

"I did?" Habriel asked. He seemed confused, but shrugged it off. "Guess I don't remember our conversation..."

Frisk eyed him warily. "Okay..." They made a mental note of Azo's peculiar behavior, taking it as suspicious and just not right. They planned on talking to Habriel or their mother in private.

The boy smiled while Habriel stretched his arms and got himself a glass of water. Toriel went to the hallway to get another sleeping bag for the boy.

Frisk went upstairs to go clear their head. They told the others they were going to draw.  
Really, they went up, took out a black crayon and blank paper, and began to write in shaky chicken-scratch all the things that didn't add up about the new addition to the family. How they felt about him, how he just happens to be blind but wears a blindfold, how he somehow managed to make it up Mt. Ebbott in one piece, how he knew their name...

"Oh hey!" A voice called from behind. It was Azo. "Habriel brought me here and told me that you were here." No one was around him. "He said you were drawing? Whatever that is...."

They turned on a time, folding up their paper. "Actually, first I was writing a checklist of all of the things I wanted to draw," They said quickly. If Azo had seen the blurry bullet points on the page, that's what it would look like. They suspected at this point that he could see, so they hid it. After all, how did he make it upstairs?  
"I wanted to draw a portrait of one of my best friends. Her name is Undyne," They forced themself to talk normally.

"Oh okay...." Azo said, closing the door behind himself. 

They stuffed the paper into one of the drawers of their small bedside desk and got out a new paper to begin drawing the fish warrior. They were sure he could see; they were going to make their act believable.

Azo slowly strolled over to Frisk smiling. If they weren't sure he could see yet, they definitely were now. It was like he was staring into their soul. "So Frisk...." Azo said. "What do you know about Habriel? He seems really.....cool...."

They looked at him, knowing he could see. They scribbled on their blank page as they spoke to him, maintaining an even tone. "Oh, he's a great person. He's an awesome big brother to hang out with," They replied, drawing the blue outline of Undyne's face with a crayon, still unable to draw steadily due to their nerves.

"He seems really nice." Azo said. "Like someone who's hiding something."

"What?" They turned to him, wearing a confused expression. "What do you mean? Just 'cause he's nice doesn't necessarily mean there's a catch," They reasoned. They had their crayon to the page without moving.

"I don't know..." Azo said. "He just....comes off that way, I guess....." 

They continued to draw, filling in the rest of Undyne's head with blue except for where the eyes and mouth would go. Their heart rate was rising again, an unhealthy rate. They could feel the eerie suspense of being in the room with Azo.

"Maybe he really is a nice person..." Azo said, sitting next to them. "Maybe he's something else..." he whispered in their ear.

They flinched, inching away from him a-mile-a-minute. "Whoa, personal space," they muttered, dragging their drawing with them. This conversation was a twisted dance in which Frisk tried their best to contort themself out of any rising conflict.

"Sorry, didn't know you were right there." Azo giggled awkwardly.

They made a face. There was literally no way he couldn't have known he was that close. He totally knew it. He was just trying to be crafty. But Frisk wasn't about to let his acting get the award.  
"What do you mean, he could be 'something else?' He's just my brother, nothing to it."

"No one can be that nice...." Azo said. "Humans on the surface are mean and he's human, isn't he? He's also from the surface."

"Yeah? So am I, and I don't think I'm that bad," They said flatly, acting insulted by Azo's remark.

"And I am, too...." Azo said. "But there's something with him....something....off...."

Frisk sighed, setting their crayon down, which clacked sharply on the desk. "Azo, I've lived with him for more than just a few months. I haven't seen anything to worry about with him. Really."

"If you say so..." Azo said. "I just hope you're right...." there was a light knocking on the door. Habriel and Toriel were outside. 

"Hey Azo." Habriel said. "Mom and I prepared a place for you to sleep. Wanna check it out?" 

"Sure!" the boy smiled. Habriel grabbed his hand and led him down the hallway and Toriel smiled as they made their way down, standing outside of Frisk's room.

Once Azo was surely downstairs, they cracked the door open and called for their mother to come in so they could speak in private. They felt an instinctual shiver down their spine, thinking about the implications about this grand lie Azo was telling.

"Yes, my child." Toriel knelt down. "What is it?"

Without wasting any time, they whispered "Azo''s not blind, and I don't think he's who he says he is."

"Huh?" Toriel raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? How do you know he isn't blind? That sounds farfetched...."

"He came up here on his own," Frisk said hurriedly. "And he keeps insisting to me that Habriel's hiding something. And we don't know how he knew my name."

"He said that Habriel mentioned you." Toriel said. "However why would he say Habriel's hiding something? What happened?"

"Nothing, as far as I know! And he knew I was drain because I said, but I was really writing when he came up and he said 'whatever that is.' He can see."

"How do you know?" Toriel a asked.

"He came up here all by himself and closed the door behind himself." Frisk said.

Toriel still wasn't sure what to believe, but this was alarming. "He may have said Habriel mentioned my name, but he was sweating when he said it. I saw."

"Something else doesn't add up." Frisk said. "If he's been alone and blind this whole time, how could he have survived on the surface alone? More importantly, how did me make it to Mt. Ebott alone? And how did he end up underground without being able to see the cave? Something isn't right."

"He was acting weird, Mom," Frisk finished.

"And it was like he was trying to turn me against Habriel..." Frisk said.

It was all very alarming. And this same person was in the same room with Habriel right in Toriel's household. 

Toriel nodded slowly, seeming to take it all in. She straightened out, and motioned for Frisk to stay there in their room. She exited, shutting the door behind her, and walked downstairs calmly, ready to fight.

She came down to Habriel sitting right next to Azo. The child was wrapped in a blanket and Habriel was watching anime. "I'm sorry you can't see this..." Habriel said. "I'm sure we can think of something for you. I never really lived with someone who was blind so this should be interesting."

"Oh, hello," Toriel waved to them. "Habriel, I actually need you for something- remember I said I was going to show you how to cook quiche?" She asked, looking at him with purpose, as if to say, 'get in here, we need to talk.'

"Ummm....okay...." Habriel said. He was getting up when Azo gasped. 

"Wait!" the boy said without turning. He looked sad. "Don't go! I wanna sit with you!"

Habriel raised a brow to this request, and looked at his mother. She had a look of urgency and demand for him.   
"My child," Toriel sighed. "It won't be for too long. I promised this for him for a while and tonight we were going to have quiche."

"It'll only be for a moment." Habriel said. He got up and followed his mother in the kitchen as she seemed more scared than ever. Habriel couldn't be more confused. "Quiche at 4 AM?" Habriel thought aloud. "You must be pretty hungry."

She silently slid over a napkin with a message on it, telling him her and Frisk's worries and suspicions. "My child, these are the instructions and recipe."

"Really?" Habriel's heart stopped and looked at his mother, even more scared than she was. "I didn't know it was so simple..." he continued. He turned his head slightly, looking in the direction where he left Azo and turned back to his mother.

She nodded slowly to him, a knowing nod. "Yes, it really shouldn't be that difficult," She stated. "You think you understand the instructions?"

"I don't think so...." Habriel said. "I mean....what do we do?" he asked. Toriel understood the context. 

"Hmmm... well, I can put it in simpler steps," She offered out loud, taking out another napkin, writing the words, 'we don't trust him. He was asking information about you and got uncomfortably close to Frisk.'

"I understood that part." Habriel said. He wrote on the napkin. 'I mean, what do we do about him?'

"Oh, sorry, let me break this step down, then," She said. She wrote on the white surface, 'Perhaps we should question him for further affirmation that we shouldn't trust him? He might be from the Cathedral, for all we know.' Then, she said, "There. Does that help?"

Habriel grabbed another napkin. 'What can we ask that won't raise his suspicions?' he wrote.

"This is how you make the crust, my child," She said out loud, trying not to stay quiet for too long. She took the napkin and pen, writing 'Well, it seems he has the same answer to the question about the blindfold, which we think is hiding something important. I know it may sound harsh, but that's crucial and we should investigate that.'

"I think I know what to do here..." Habriel said. 'I'll try to get that blindfold off him. I'll need a drink.' he wrote.

'I see,' Toriel wrote back. "Yes, lay the crust in the pan like that," She said. "That way, all the filling can go inside."  
'I'll give you water. Say you were coming in to check on him and spill,' She finished with a determined look.

Toriel grabbed a glass of water for him. "There you go, now just put it in the oven." she said as she opened and closed the door. "Why don't you take a break?" Habriel nodded his head and left the room making it over to Azo.

"Hey." Habriel said as he made it to the boy. "So mo-" he pretended to trip and spill water on the boy's head. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" he pretended to be shocked. Reaching up for the blindfold. "Here, let me wash that for y-"

"NO!" Azo snapped, grabbing Habriel's wrist. The grip was very firm.

"What happened in there?" Toriel called, then came in to see Azo soaking wet.  
"Oh, my child, what happened?"

"I got wet!" Azo complained. "Habriel got me wet! Now look at me. I'm all wet!"

"It was an accident!" Habriel exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"  
"My child, let's get you a new change of clothes," Toriel said. "You'll catch a cold. And we will need to remove that," She pointed at the cloth across his face.

"No!" The boy gripped his blindfold tightly. He made it obvious that he wasn't blind.

"My child, it will never dry if you keep it on," She said. "If we hang it up on a rack, it will dry faster that way."

"NO NO NO!" The boy roared. He had a slightly demented voice then. He gasped.

Habriel and Toriel stared at him, horrified.

"Its my fold, mine!" the boy's voice grew deeper. 

"We just want to clean it..." Habriel muttered. 

"Fine!" Azo snapped. "Come with me! We'll clean it together outside." he made his way to the door. "Follow me."

Toriel stopped her real son from getting up.   
"I'll come with you," She said grimly. 

"No! I want Habriel!" the boy's voice went deep again. "I want Habriel! I want Habriel! I want Habriel!" the wet cloth fell off the boy's head, revealing his eyes. What should have been the whites of his eyes were black as night. With two orange dots coming from the center, he had a look of resentment. 

They were caught off guard, but the mother half expected this; her heart pounded in her chest, and adrenaline rushed through her veins. She bore her teeth at him.  
"Get out of my house. Get. Out."

The boy snarled, rushed over surprisingly fast and grabbed Habriel by the throat. Throwing him through the window to the front of the house, the boy crashed through the door, eyes glowing afire. 

Toriel rushed out and grabbed the nameless boy by the arms, holding him back from reaching Habriel.  
She was almost animalistic in her rage, something which didn't reveal itself often.   
"GET OFF OF HIM!" She snarled, restraining him with great force. "YOU ARE NO CHILD OF MINE."

The boy roared at her in a deep, demonic voice, they were face to face as she held him in the air. 

"YOU ARE A LIAR," She went on, tears streaming down her face as she bore her fangs. "A TRAITOR."  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Frisk stayed in their room together with Marion after they had explained to him why Azo was most definitely a phony. They kept the door locked after hearing the loud crash downstairs.

He kicked her, making her let go of him. He scurried away like the little creature he is. 

The goat monster chased the demonic child, catching him quickly, preventing him once more from reaching Habriel.

"LET GO!" he kicked the goat woman's hand away from him. 

"NO," She grabbed him and yanked him back harshly, and if he was a human, the wind would have been knocked out of his lungs.

He dug his nails into Toriel clawing at her, making her bleed heavily. He bit into the arm that grabbed him as hard as he could. 

She screamed but willed herself to keep holding onto him.

Habriel got up, catching his breath and saw what was going on. He rushed over and yanked the boy off his mother. 

Azo's scratching and biting had reduced her health greatly, and she was bleeding continually. She held onto her arm where the major injury was, gritting her teeth in pain.

Habriel materialized a knife and stabbed the boy right in the chest. 

Azo ripped the blade out of his flesh, screeching.  
Toriel watched them with blurred vision as she held onto her arm, trying to stop the bleeding.

"What are you!?" Habriel gasped as he stabbed the boy again. Azo however, was just fine.

Toriel, wobbly, went down and was on her knees. Her vision blurring, warping, and fading, she blinked a few times to try to help clear her head and vision, but could not.

Habriel heard another unholy screech, this time coming from the sorrow demon. It pounced onto Azo, claws extended and bearing it's long razor sharp fangs. Habriel saw Toriel and rushed to her. "Mom!" he gasped as he made his way to her. 

Much of her soft white fur was slick and matted with her blood as she knelt at the ground where she was hurt by the demonic thing.

"Come on." He offered a shoulder for her to lean on.

She looked up and accepted the help, trying her best to get to her feet, which felt slippery under her weight. She felt like her legs were made of gelatin and her feet wouldn't support her.

Habriel had her lean on him the whole time they hobbled back inside the house. He sat her down on the sofa and went and got her a lot of monster food. "How do you use healing magic?" he asked desperately. 

Toriel was trying to explain, but the wooziness increased and she passed out where he set her down.

"Seraph!" Habriel yelled. The specter came and Habriel was crying as he looked up at the ancient wizard. "Please...." he begged. "Help me heal her...."

"So the human was a fake?" He asked, and Habriel nodded. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Thank you...." Habriel choked on his tears as he looked at his broken mother. He hoped he could save her. 

Marion came from down the hallway. After seeing what happened, she stayed with Frisk to protect them. She watched as the specter taught Habriel to use healing magic. As his mother's HP went back up, she opened her eyes again and he hugged her, crying.

She held him, trying not to dirty his clothes with her blood.   
"My child, when did we get inside?"

"I helped you inside..." Habriel choked. "The demon's fighting Azo and Seraph taught me how to heal you." He kept hugging her. "Thank God you're okay...." he kept crying. 

She cried, too. "I'm really sorry, my child," She sobbed. "I didn't realize that child could have been dangerous. I was too careless and trusting."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Habriel said, looking up at her with puffy red eyes. "It is admirable for you to care so much. If you weren't so caring and trusting, I probably wouldn't be here...." he kept crying. 

Outside, Azo threw the demon off him and ran away into the city by the Ruins.

"I wasn't being smart about it," She whimpered. "I should have questioned things. Frisk was smart..."

"I got played, just like you." Habriel said. "It happens and there's nothing that can be done about it. What matters is that you're okay."

"Are you hurt?" She asked, looking him over to the best of her ability.

"I'm fine." Habriel said. "Just a couple bruises and scratches, nothing serious."

"I should probably treat this," She held up her arm to look at it.

Habriel immediately got up to retrieve everything he needed to heal and clean the wound. "Here..." he said. "I'll help you." He started cleaning off all the blood. 

She thanked him many times, grateful that her son was there to help her.

"You're welcome..." Habriel said as he started wrapping gauze around her arm. "I'm just starting to repay for everything you've done for me..."

She smiled weakly, "My child, there's no need to repay me," She said.

"Let's be honest, I'm a handful to live with." Habriel said. "But you go through so much everyday for me, just to help me. I can't help but wan to return the favor...."

She smiled through her pain. "Habriel, really, you don't have to do anything."

"I want to..." he insisted. 

She sat up and looked at the shattered window, the glass scattered outside and on the floor.  
She tried to see out the window unsuccessfully. "Where did 'Azo' go?" She asked.

"He ran away to the city..." Habriel said. "The demon chased him away. Now he's out and about in the Underground..."

"We gotta do something," She tried to stand.

She could barely get up. And to make matters worse, her phone went off with a message from Alphys. 

Habriel helped her take out her phone and check the incoming message sent.  
"Who is it?" Toriel asked.

"Its Alphys..." he said, swiping the screen to see the message. "Oh no... oh God...."

"What is it?" Toriel asked.

"The jesters...." he said. "They escaped...."

Her heart could have stopped. She froze in place. "They're out?!" She tried getting up again, but to no avail.

"God damn it..." he put the phone down and hid his face in the palms of his hands, sweating profusely. "And now Aso's out too and we have no idea where any of them are..." He began to cry again, the feelings all built up into his eyes and he had to let it out.

His injured mother sat up, stroking his back. "We'll figure something out," Toriel kept trying to reassure him. "We'll fix this, I just need to get better so I can help."

"We should call Asgore." Habriel said. "Put the Underground on high emergency."

"Right. I can," She took the phone and dialed her ex. 

"Thanks..." Habriel wiped his tears and sat next to her. He didn't want to leave her with so many people who want him dead out and about.

On the other end, Asgore heard his phone ring, and he pulled it out, eyes widening at the sight of the caller's ID.

Answering the phone without hesitation, he put down his cup of tea. "Hello?"

"Asgore, it's me," Toriel started breathlessly. "There's an emergency."

"Oh no..." he said. "Is Habriel hurt? Is Frisk alright? What about Marion? Is everyone okay?"

"Habriel and I are hurt," She said without hesitation. "Though he was able to heal me a bit. The ghosts Sommers and Gacy have escaped from their containment in the lab," She said. "And someone demonic from the surface attacked us and is roaming free."

"My God...." Asgore began to sweat. "I'll declare a state of emergency, have the Underground on lockdown and the Royal Guards patrolling everywhere at all times. I'll also send a group of healers for you and Habriel."

"Thank you," She said. "The attacker looks like a child with long hair. He wore a blindfold to hide demonic black eyes."

"Goodness..." Asgore said. "I'm so sorry. I hope he hasn't hurt you too badly..."

"The wound is bandaged, but deep," She sighed, looking at her arm. "But I'll be alright. I'm more worried about what the ghosts will do if they find us."

"I have an idea..." Asgore said. "Although, you might not like it..."

"What is it?" She asked, hoping it wasn't too dangerous or anything like that. "I think anything could help at this point..."

"Well, they seem to know where you live." Asgore said. "Or at least one of them. Is there a place you can think of staying at for a while?"

"It will be difficult and dangerous at this point to travel, plus the demonic child and the ghosts might be closeby, in Snowdin, or somewhere else," She replied. "I don't know if it would be possible to leave here."

"Alright..." Asgore said. "Would you mind if I sent a few royal guards along with the healers?"

"Alright," She sighed. "Thank you."

He hung up the phone and called for a team of guards and healers to travel to the ruins.

Habriel was too afraid to leave Toriel's side. He decided to sit with her until the guards came.

By now, Marion and Frisk came downstairs and joined them, deciding it had been long enough after the crash downstairs that they were safe to go see what happened.

They came down to see a Habriel almost clinging to his mother. He was more afraid than ever.

"Mom!" Frisk ran over and hugged them. "What happened? We heard a crash, and-" They looked over and noticed the shattered window and stopped short.

"Azo went crazy and nearly killed us..." Habriel said.

"I knew it!" Frisk yelled. They stared out the broken window hatefully.

"I'm so sorry, Frisk." Habriel said. "We just took him in and didn't even think about it."

"In the perfect world, that would have been what we were supposed to do," They exhaled slowly, a rattled breath. Marion joined Habriel's side.

Habriel started to relax with his family all around him. He was still rather uncomfortable, but he felt safer with them all around him.

The Royal Guards and healers departed quickly from the castle upon the king's orders and headed towards the ruins.

A bright cyan light flashed in the room in front of the family. Sans wasn't smiling, his eye sockets blank. "tori!" he ran to her. "asgore texted me! are you okay?"

"Oh wow, he texted you?" She was surprised. "Yeah, just a scrape," She held up her arm, which had clearly more than just a scrape. Her entire forearm was wrapped up, red. 

"oh geez!" he looked at it and stroked her hand.

She smiled sadly. "I made the mistake of trusting a fallen child," She said softly. "This time, it wasn't a human child. More like a demon."

"I'm sorry, mom..." Habriel said. "I should have known. I should have been able to figure it out..."

"My child, it's not your fault, it was hard to tell," She reassured him.

"Thank God Frisk was on their toes." Habriel said. "If we had really fallen for it..."

They all nodded. Frisk was sitting with them silently, still shaken at how Azo behaved around them.

"Speaking of..." Habriel turned to Frisk and opened his arms. "Are you okay?"

They hugged him, shaking. "Azo got really close to me," They shivered.

He hugged them gently and patted their back. "I should have been vigilant like you..." He said. "Thank you for saving us."

"He really scared me," They whimpered. "He   
Kept suggesting that you were hiding something- that you were too nice for a human from the surface. But I said I was from the surface, too."

"Of course he was trying to turn you against me..." Habriel shook his head. "So he was basically projecting his behavior onto me...." He hugged them tightly. "I'm sorry, I hope you know I won't ever turn against you."

"He was pretty much didn't know what personal space was," they shook their head. "He knew how close he got to me."

"That's beyond creepy..." Habriel said. "I hope he didn't try anything else...."

"Nothing other than whispering in my ear and getting his hot breath on me," They shrugged, another shiver zipping up their spine.

"I'm glad he's gone...or at least away from us..." Habriel said. "But now, we have to hope someone catches him as well as the jesters...with all of them roaming free..."

"It's going to be difficult to even go outside anymore," Toriel muttered.

"Asgore said he's putting the Underground on high emergency, right?" Habriel asked. 

His mother nodded. "And he sent healers and guards our way. I think he hopes to house us in the castle for the time being, since the jestees and Azo wouldn't be able to find us."

"That's good..." Habriel said. "It'll make us a lot safer. Though it might be a breach of privacy, but who cares?"

Toriel looked weary from everything. Sans stood with them all. Soon, the group of healers and guardsmen arrived at the house.

The guardsmen stood by any exit to Toriel's house and kept a vigilant eye out for any suspicious individuals. The healers rushed in and went to work with healing Toriel and Habriel. 

After the healong process was over, the king ordered his guards to escort the family to the castle.

"Wait, Asgore ordered that?" Habriel asked. "I thought they agreed to have us stay here. Or was there a change of plan?"

"It was unclear, my child, but that's what it seemed like," Toriel replied, watching the healers take care of her son.

"I guess he thinks we'll be safer in the castle." Habriel said. "It is probably safer but... are you okay with this?" he asked his mother.

She looked tired, but nodded reluctantly.  
"As long as it keeps my children safe and happy."

"Alright..." Habriel got up. "Are you guys ready to go?"

Toriel stood with difficulty. The others got up too. The guards around the house gathered and beckoned for the family to follow. Sans wasn't very comfortable with Toriel going over to Asgore's. 

He held her hand along the way there. Not smiling, he didn't want to see his lover get so stressed out. It was affecting him, too. 

She looked down at him, wanting nothing more than to have alone time with him. A time when the underground was safe and her kids were alright.

There were some people out there willing to make that happen. She however wished that they were more than just her children.

The worn goat woman kept holding the small skeleton's hand compassionately the entire trip to the castle.

The guards at the castle moved out of the way for them as they made their way inside. Once more in as much danger as last time. Chara and Flowey were in the throne room and saw the family coming. Chara ran up to them holding Flowey to greet them, knowing what had transpired earlier. 

"Are you okay?" Chara asked her mother as she approached them. "And Habriel, is he okay?"

"I got a tad hurt but Habriel and the others are fine," She smiled exhaustedly, hugging her.

"I wish I could have been there to protect you guys..." Chara said. "I wouldn't have let it happen..."

"Don't worry yourself about it, my child, " her mother murmured. She looked up to see the king standing behind her children.

He put down his cup of tea and smiled at the family. "I'm glad you're all okay." he said.

"Yeah, it was close," Toriel said shortly. "Too close for comfort."

"I'm a little scared to ask why..." Chara shook her head. Flowey wanted to feel bad for them, but couldn't. He still couldn't feel compassion. It irritated him to no end. 

"Ugh." He frowned.  
"I don't think it would be the best to discuss right now, but we'll clue you in," Toriel responded drearily.

"Yeah...." Habriel said. "I'd rather not get into detail at the moment..."

Asgore proceeded to thank the guards and healers for their work and returned shortly, asking if the family needed anything.

"hey, sorry to bother ya, but could i just have a moment with tori?" Sans asked. He was scared and he didn't want to step out of line. However, the King didn't seem to mind.

"Of course." The King made a look of sympathy. "Come along, children." he motioned the others to follow him. 

So Frisk, Marion, Chara with Flowey, and Habriel all followed the gentle king so that their mother could have private time with her partner.

"hey tori...." Sans said as he held her hands. "i'm so sorry i wasn't there when it happened. i'm so sorry that any of this happened, god i...."

"You're gonna make me cry," She chuckled sadly. "It's okay, now, Sans. It's fine. We're all good." She stroked his face.

 

He hugged her tightly. "i'm glad...." he said. "thank god you're all okay...."

She winced from pain in her arm, but embraced him wholeheartedly. "Yes, thank goodness..."

They shared a quick kiss then went on to meet up with the rest of the family.

They found Asgore sitting with the children a little ways away in the flowers.

He was telling stories of his early time in the Underground when monsters were still discovering everything. The children were amazed.

He saw Sans and Toriel standing behind the children, listening.

"Sorry to interrupt." Habriel raised a hand. "Can you tell me where the bathroom is?" 

"Down the hallway and turn right." Asgore said. The boy thanked him and was on his way over when the specter appeared.

"You." Seraph said. "When you're done, we're due for a history lesson."

"History lesson?" Habriel asked. "About what?"

"I'll tell you later." Seraph said. "Just go." 

This was suspicious, but he shrugged it off and went down to the bathroom.

Coming back later, Habriel saw Seraph in the hallway. "So what's this history lesson?" he asked.

"The war between the humans and monsters." Seraph said.

Toriel and Sans were right outside and were within earshot of this. 

"Isn't Asgore already talking to us about that, now?" Habriel asked. "I asked him why the monsters ended up in the Underground."

"I know." Seraph shook his head. "But what he said is bullshit monster propaganda and I'm here to do the fact checking as you kids call it these says."

"Okay..." Habriel prepared himself mentally to listen to a soliloquy of complete crap.

"First off." Seraph said. "We didn't care about monsters absorbing human souls. You've seen me in action. I can easily rip out souls from them. The real reason they were attacked was because we wanted the magic from their souls. The reason why countless died is because they're fragile."

Habriel stood listening to him, skeptical. 

"Azo, that boy, is a lich." Seraph said. "A subhuman species I discovered." he went on. "To make one you take a human soul, a monster soul, fuse them together and put them inside the body. That human needs the magic from the monster soul to allow the Determination back in. Bringing them back to life."

"Okay, what does that have to do with the war?" Habriel asked. Sans and Toriel were listening to this as well from a distance.

"Because we wanted to round up the monsters and make cattle out of them." Seraph said. "We wanted to use them so humanity would never have to fear death again. They retaliated and thus we had to force them underground. Either that or we would have driven them to extinction."

Sans's eyes were blank as he stood beside Toriel. He clenched his fists.  
"cattle, huh?" He muttered inaudibly.

"Why do you think the Cathedral round up children?" Seraph asked. "Monsters are made from magic and Compassion and therefore are very innocent. The Cathedral target children to desensitize themselves."

"Are you saying they plan to do the same thing with the monsters?" Habriel asked horrified.

"Yes." Seraph said. "They want to finish what my people started."

Habriel wanted to ask how Seraph felt about the monsters, but he was afraid of what the answer could be.

He gulped, ready to ask him. "Seraph?" he said. The specter raised an eyebrow. "What do you think about monsters?" Habriel asked. "Do you think that humans are superior."

"I don't have an opinion about monsters." Seraph said. "They're just beings made of magic and Compassion. Just like how we're just beings made out of water and Determination. There is racism among humans and monsters, I won't deny it. But I don't let a stupid bias get in the way of my quest." The specter shrugged. "Besides, I hold little regard for any life. Existence is meaningless to me. There is no point to life, no point to anything at all. I might as well do what I want. If that means conducting experiments on others no matter who they are, so be it. As long as I get something out of it."

Habriel sighed, unsure whether it was out of relief or of expecting an answer like this one.

"You have such a bleak outlook..." Habriel said. "You really think life is meaningless?"

"And who are you to say it has meaning?" Seraph asked. "What is the point in living? What goals do we really have outside of survival. Whether you want to admit it or not, we are no better than the animals who rely on instinct."

"Life can have meaning...." Habriel said. "We just have to give it one...."

"Of course you'd have that outlook. You probably never thought that we can give ourselves meaning."

"Prove me wrong then." Seraph said. "What has been your life outside this curse? Nothing...."

"That's where you're wrong," Habriel said briskly. "My life is here, helping and protecting my family."

"And what of those who have no families?" Seraph asked. "What of their existence? Shall they suffer while you receive hugs, pies and drawings from your 'family'?" He raised an eyebrow. "What will be done with them? Will anyone care?"

"They determine what their lives will be," Habriel responded sternly. "What other people think of them does not affect what they want to do."  
"And who are all of you to determine what your lives are?" Seraph asked.

"We're people." Habriel walked away.

'I'm not getting into a fight with this overly-depressive person,' He thought to himself as he moved away from the specter.


	39. Chapter 39

"sup kid." Sans said as Habriel walked in. Habriel raised an eyebrow.

"You two heard that conversation?" Habriel asked. They nodded their heads, he sighed in response. "Well...what are your opinions?"

"I think you're right," Toriel said.

"And about everything else we talked about?" Habriel asked. "You know, about Seraph's perspective on the war. What do you think about it. And do you think he's telling the truth?"

"Well, when you're on one side of the battle, it's hard to determine the other side's motives," Toriel admitted. "All we could tell was that the goal was malicious."

"I knew humans didn't have good intentions, but...." Habriel shook his head. "My God...."

Toriel wore an expression of resentment and fear. Sans' face remained the same.

"I'm sorry..." Habriel said. "All I can say is that I'll try to get rid of those people as soon as possible..." 

"My child, that's not your responsibility; it's not your problem, it's ours," Toriel insisted. "Do not force yourself to do something dangerous just for our sake."

"Me stopping them was the plan in the first place." Habriel said. "And I was right about my hutch. I knew they wanted you monsters for something. You think I'm gonna let you go after them after hearing that? You'll be giving them exactly what they want. It's better if Marion and I do it."

Sans shook his head.  
"'ts a suicide mission, kid."

"Which is exactly why you guys shouldn't go." Habriel said. 

"Habriel, we can live with this, we just want you to be safe," Toriel pleaded. "I don't know if I could bear losing another child."

"You can, but we can't." Seraph said as the skeletal hand rested on Habriel's shoulder. "We're both tired of being bound together. We want to go our separate ways and we want to be free from this infernal curse. He's had me help him many times in the past and he owes me just one favor. To lift the curse, and that will require him doing one thing."

"You two being bound together isn't his fault," Toriel retorted. "It certainly wasn't his idea; why does he owe you anything?"

"He's alive today because of me." Seraph snapped. "Or have you forgotten that?"

The goat woman and skeleton glared at Seraph; he was lucky he was already a spirit.

"If you die and make me move onto someone else..." Seraph growled at Habriel. "I will find where you are if there's an afterlife and -"

"I get it!" Habriel snapped and walked away. 

Toriel nudged Sans. "Make me remember to ask Alphys if there's a way to obliterate spirits." He nodded, maintaining his glare on the specter.

"That's funny, I thought no one should get hurt or killed." Seraph mocked. "Or is my pacifist here having a change of thought?"

"You need to stop," She answered.

"seriously, you gotta chill." Sans shook his head. "not cool to act like this."

"Go make your stale jokes elsewhere, fat boy." Seraph said.

Toriel was about to form fireballs in her fists to shoot at the specter but Sans held her back.

She made it more obvious than she should have which only made Seraph laugh. "You two really are perfect for each other." he chuckled. "You're both pathetic."

"tori, let's go," Sans tugged at her arm to get her attention.

Before she could try to attack the specter, he tugged her and brought her over to where Habriel walked off to.

Habriel saw the two return shortly to where he retreated to, one of them holding the other, the other steaming.

"What happened?" Habriel asked concerned. "Are you two okay?"

"pathetic, according to your nuisance over there," Sans explained, pointing a thumb backwards.

"Damn him...." Habriel hissed. "I'm so sorry, guys."

Toriel was beginning to calm down now that they were out of Seraph's vicinity.  
She unclenched her fists and took deep breaths.

"hey..." Sans hugged her. "he don't know anything about us." He stroked her back.

After all she'd been through that day, being betrayed by a child, getting hurt, trying to protect her children, this was the icing on the cake. She sobbed quietly into the hug.

"shhhhh...." Sans continued to stroke her back. "it's okay, t.....we're here...." He nudged Habriel to come over which he did. He placed a hand on his mother's shoulders. 

"I'm sorry, mom..." Habriel muttered.

She pulled him into the hug immediately.

"I'm so sorry...." he repeated as he hugged back. "You don't deserve this....you shouldn't be dealing with this...." he pet the back of her head.

"I just.... just want things to go back to normal," She whimpered.

"hate to break it to ya, tori..." Sans chuckled sadly. "but things were never normal...."

"I will get rid of him...." Habriel muttered. "I promise...."

"They were more peaceful than they are now," She replied. "And that's what I hope we can attain again."

'There's only one thing in the way of that...' Habriel thought. 'Me...'

"I just want people to stop persecuting my children," She said.

"It's not fair!" She went on. "They deserve to live normal lives. Without fear. They deserve to be happy..." She sobbed. Her lover and son continued to comfort her.

Marion didn't know what to say; she sat with Frisk, Chara, and Flowey by the king.

"we appreciate everything you're doing for us, t...." Sans murmured. "all of us. we all love ya to death and hate seeing you like this."

She wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, everyone, this is pretty embarrassing," She closed her eyes and exhaled.

"It's okay..." Habriel patted her back and smiled sadly. "You had to let it out. If you ever feel like that again, we're always here for you."

"Thank you," She said, dabbing at her eyes with her good arm.

Sans gave her a big hug one more time. He hated seeing everything that's happened to her, he wanted to kill Seraph for everything he's ever said to her.

"What should we do about home?" Frisk asked. "We can't really go back anytime soon, can we? I mean, with the jesters and Azo about, it's kinda... perilous to go outside..."

"I'll call in everyone in the espionage to hunt them down." Asgore said. "They won't last long out there."

"I mean, they were pretty strong against Toriel, and she's pretty strong," Chara said.  
"And it was hard for Sans to keep them still, right?" Frisk pointed out.

"They're unlike any monster we've seen..." Habriel said. "None of them can die, except for the hacker Alphys mentioned. And they're all very dangerous."

"The Royal Guard and the Royal Espionage will work together into bringing them down." Asgore said. 

"You think Azo would team up with the hacker?" Flowey asked, skeptical.

"No." Habriel said. "The Cathedral wants to enslave monsters while the jesters just want revenge against me. Maybe we can turn them against each other...."

"You think they're that stupid?"   
They asked.

"The jesters, maybe..." Habriel said. "We can't get them ourselves to do it. They'll need some coercion."

"Hopefully they don't think 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,'" Flowey added.   
"Teaming up would make them practically unstoppable."

"I hope so, too." Habriel said. "That'd be a nightmare...."

Asgore stood up and looked at Toriel and Sans.   
"Now we must address where you may stay here for the time being, since we don't want them to find you."

"There's a hidden passage underneath the castle where you'll all reside." Asgore said. 

"Sounds... mysterious," Frisk whispered to Chara.

"It's a bunker, sort of...." Chara whispered. "Mom and dad taught us all the ways to get there if the castle ever got attacked."

"Really? Sounds cool," They whispered.   
"And we gotta stay there?"

"We can leave whenever, it also has an escape tunnel." Chara said. "Just in case we can't use the main entrance to it."

"Ohhh. I wonder how long it will be until it's safe to go outside again."

"He's not gonna lock us in there." Chara said. "We're just down there because he thinks it's too dangerous to be up here with him...."

"I mean, I wonder how long it will be until they catch Sommers, Gacy, Azo, and the other guy..."

"Limbo?" a familiar voice said. A tall skeleton in a black leather coat and hoodie was making his way towards the family. "Got your text, my King." He knelt before Asgore. "I'm here...."

"Hey, Kaizer," Frisk waved to him.

Kaizer nodded his head at Frisk and stood up. "You requested my presence." He said. "What would you have of me?"

Asgore cleared his throat and addressed the skeleton.  
"Kaizer, you are one of my strongest monsters and you know firsthand what happened with those ghosts," He said.

He nodded his head.

Asgore wore a serious expression. "I want you to hunt them down." He said. "Along with a human child by the name of Azo."

"Of course." Kaizer said. "Saber and Lepra will track the outlaws down. My newest agent and I will hunt the human?"

"Newest agent?" Asgore asked. Another monster walked in. Revealing himself to be Halustreg.

"Halustreg? A new agent? Since when?" Chara asked in genuine shock. 

"Since after I lost to Habriel in the tournament." Halustreg said. "I joined to both redeem and better myself."

"Good on ya," Chara said. Frisk congratulated him too.  
"That's great."

"So that's how you knew about my condition." Habriel said. "I should've known there was more to it than Alphys texting you. Congratulations!"

Halustreg grinned. "Thanks."

"And thank you again for helping us." Habriel said. "It really means a lot to me."

Halustreg nodded. Asgore thanked him for his helpful contribution to the team.

"Alright...." Asgore said. "Please, make your way downstairs. The sooner you're down there, the better."

Toriel led the children downstairs to the place they could hide from the menaces above.

"So will we be stuck down here?" Habriel asked. "Will we be able to explore the rest of the castle?"

"We can probably explore to our hearts' content," Toriel said. "Just... if they're closeby, stay down here."

"Of course." Habriel said. "I don't plan on leaving the castle or anything. I just wouldn't be comfortable stuck down here for a long time."

"Me neither," Frisk said.  
"I understand and feel the same," Their mother said.

"Let's get settled in, I guess...." Frisk said. "Better to get it over with..."

They all had prepared a selection of clothes in the hurry before leaving home,  
They stored them away, as well as other necessities. 

Putting the rest of their equipment away, they had all gotten adjusted and all decided which room was who's. 

"So... Flowey and I are already set," Chara pointed out. "It's just Marion, Habriel, Frisk, and you, Mom."

"You'll be with us down here?" Habriel asked. 

"No, we'll be on the first floor, since we already have rooms up there," She clarified.

"Oh okay." Habriel said. "How is it by the way? Living in the castle?"

"It's alright, but it doesn't compare to the house," Chara sighed. Flowey nodded.

"Really?" Habriel was surprised. 

"Yeah, the castle doesn't have you guys around." Chara said. Habriel smiled.

"And it's too big," Flowey chimed in. "It's huge compared to the house. It's too large."

"Wow...." Habriel said. "That's surprising, I figured you guys would only use his house."

"Well, he mostly stays in the castle, so we figured he'd want us around," Chara shrugged.

"Well..." Habriel shrugged. "At least we're all together again."

"Funny, I think it was time for me to care for you two a bit," Toriel said, a tinge of sarcasm lining her tone.

"Well at least we can all visit each other, now." Habriel said. "You know, without having to travel across the Underground."

Toriel went back upstairs and met up with Sans again, who had been standing around waiting.

"hey, tori..." he said as he put his phone away.

"Hey," She smiled at him. "We settled in downstairs already... just wish we could've stayed home."

"if you'd like, i can stay with ya..." he offered.

"I can't ask you to do that, Sans," Toriel shook her head. "We don't know how long this will be until we can go back to our home."

"right..." Sans said. "but, despite everything. it's good to see ya." he hugged her.

She hugged him, grateful for his presence in such a trying time.  
"Thank you for being here for us," She said.

"aww c'mon, t." Sans chuckled "anyone'd have done the same in my slippers." He was happy to see her and her family alright. Despite everything, she's still staying strong, and he admired her for that.

"I just hope this heals soon so I can be ready in case anything bad happens," She held up her arm.

"i don't think you told me about that yet." Sans said. He carefully held her arm to take a closer look. "what caused this?"

"That imitation child, Azo," She said, looking down at her arm. "I kept him off of Habriel for just enough time. He really scratched and bit."

His eye sockets turned blank and he was not smiling anymore. He wanted to hunt that child down.

Her smile wavered. "I really thought I had saved another child, but that was quickly corrected in my eyes."

"aww, t..." he held her hand. "i'm really sorry...."

"It's alright, I was being foolish and a dreamer," She shook her head. "A visionary. I wasn't thinking about the feasible implications."

"well.....at least you got out of there safe...." Sans shivered. Thinking about Frisk's genocide run, the time they betrayed her. He knew they wouldn't do it again. But he was glad she survived the harsh lesson this time.

"Frisk was being really smart," She remarked. "They noticed Azo was off immediately. They had suspicions from the start and gathered evidence to support their claims."

"Really?" this surprised him. Out of all people to figure it out, it was Frisk.

"They are very quick and observant, Sans," She said.

"y'know, we should really treat them." he said.

"When everything's sorted out, of course," Toriel chuckled, which was more of a weak exhale. 

"yeah..." Sans sighed. "til then, i'll get them their favorite treat. y'know, sides your pie."

"Thank you, Sans," She gave him a small kiss.

"it's no problem." he shrugged. "they deserve it."

"I hope the Royal Guards are strong enough to recapture the jesters and take out Azo..."

"and kaizer's team...." Sans said. "him and i hardly ever talked. should hang out with him, sometime..."

"I wonder what he's up to," She said idly. She sighed and looked forward, towards the direction of the throne, seemingly lost in thought.

"well....what does he normally do?" Sans asked. "guy have any hobbies?"

She stood for a moment in a daze. "No idea."   
It was as if she was recalling a memory from when she was living here, the Queen of the underground, partially responsible for the fate of monster-kind. She still technically was. The peaceful life was so alluring to her, though.

Not many people could have left that life. Despite everything, she did miss it every once in a while. There were many good memories she had as queen.

She closed her eyes and imagined she was back in time, living here, taking her place where she had almost constant involvement in the lives of her fellow monsters. It didn't feel too strange, but it was almost as dangerous as her life was now.

She would have loved to share that life with her children.

'Perhaps, however, a life in a more typical house setting was for the best, ' She reasoned with herself. 'I wonder if the monsters think I neglected them...'

'I hope they don't...' She thought. 'I hope they would have accepted my children.'

She sighed audibly, and say down for a moment, thinking over all of her choices, wondering if she'd done the right things and had been the best mother.

"you alright?" Sans asked, looking up at her, concerned.

"I'm just... wondering if I failed... I'm still technically the queen of the underground."

He hugged her and smiled. "you never failed me..."

She hugged him warmly, thanking him.  
"I can never thank you enough. Sans," She smiled. "I just wonder if leaving the throne was the best thing for everyone."

"there's gonna be some people mad about it." Sans said. "but whatever, they don't know the whole story."

"I understand..." She nodded. "I'm just apprehensive whenever I think about resuming my duties from where I left off..."

"tori, you can't let doubt eat at ya." Sans said. "every decision we all make is gonna hurt someone in some way. we can't let that affect us. the important thing is that you did what was best for you."

"But I almost suspect in times like this that we would all have been better off if I was also at the front, if you understand what I'm saying..."

"a little too late to have second thoughts, though." Sans chuckled sadly. "but yeah, i know what you mean. like i said, you can't let 'what if?' get to ya."

Resting a hand between them, she leaned closer and whispered, "I personally don't think Asgore's qualified to handle situations like this, as he's proven. That's why I question whether I should take up responsibility again."

"look, i know you're not his biggest fan..." Sans said. "and he isn't the best at what he does. but he is still our king. not to mention, i doubt he'll just give up the throne."

"No, I wasn't suggesting that. I just feel like things are getting out of control," She replied.

"and we're doing our best to get it back in control." Sans said. "we just gotta work together."

Meanwhile, at the lab, Undyne and Alphys were taking it easy for the time being. Mettaton's upgrades were almost finished.

Undyne was feeding Charabdyss from a bottle, swaying her arms gently and humming a tune. Watching Alphys work. 

"Mettaton, it's almost done," She promised to the ghost floating behind her.

"Thank you Alphys..." He said, seemingly bored. 

She turned around in her chair. "What's wrong? Too much science for a fab star like you?" She asked with a grin.

"No, I'm just not used to being out of my body for so long, darling." he said. 

"I-I'm sorry, I'll hurry," the small scientist stuttered, sweating.

"Oh sorry...." he muttered. "Don't wanna rush you..."

"N-no, it's fine, I was p-probably taking too long," She apologized profusely while hunched over her work, rushing to finish.

"No, I really shouldn't rush you." Mettaton said. "Take your time..."

She relaxed a bit, and finalized certain things on the body, trying to decide if she wanted to be done or not. 

She decided that she'd rather it all be done. Mettaton would wait a little longer, but he wouldn't have to leave his body again.

So she continued into later in the day and finished it all. "Mettaton, I am g-glad to announce that your magnificent body has been fully upgraded."

"Thank you so much, Alphys darling!" Mettaton went back inside of his body and gave her a big warm hug.

"You're welcome," She smiled. "Glad I could get it done."

"Great job, Alph!" Undyne smiled as she put the baby back in the crib. She gave the scientist a big hug as well.

"Thanks, Undyne!" She smiled. "It's a relief to have it done. Why don't you try out some of the new features, Mettaton?"

"Of course, but where will we test it?" he asked. 

"Why don't we go outside?" She suggested. "Yeah, staying inside would've been a disaster."

"I'll come watch!" Undyne said, getting excited.

"Alright," Alphys and Undyne followed the robot outside the lab to see him try out his new weaponry.

"Is right here good?" Mettaton asked as he made his way out of the lab to the open area. It had multiple paths heading in many directions. 

"Uh, y-yeah, I would think so," Alphys nodded and stepped back a few feet to give him space to demonstrate his new abilities.

"So, what am I doing first?" Mettaton asked.

"Well, I installed the carbon-fiber arm cannon, rockets, and more," The modest scientist listed out.

"You were particularly interested in the security systems, darling." Mettaton said. "Is there a way to test that out?"

She looked like she had an epiphany.   
"Right! You're connected to it wirelessy and can control the doors and their locks."

"Alright." Mettaton said, approaching the lab. "How do I control them?"

"W-well, it's kinda hard to explain in words, butI integrate the program directly to your system. It's now almost a primary function."

"Alright, so I give a command somehow." Mettaton said. "Do I think it, is it a voice command?"

"Actually, it can be either one," Alphys smiled.

"How so?" Mettaton asked.

"The voice command can be optional, but all you have to do is think it to do it."

"Oh okay...." Mettaton said. He focused on the door, thinking about it closing by itself. Wanting it to close.

And just like that, the heavy metal door slid shut, almost as if it was of its own volition.

Mettaton widened his eyes in shock. "It worked!"

Alphys beamed wit out saying anything.

"Wow!" Undyne kissed Alphys on the cheek. "You did it, Alph. You're amazing."

She blushed hard, her scales turning from their usual yellow to a shade of rouge.

"You really did a wonderful job, Alphy." Mettaton said. "You should be proud."

"Thanks," She blushed, flattered. "It would have been much harder without support."

"I'm so glad you did this." Mettaton said. "I......I can't lose you..." The pop star showed a moment of weakness again.

"What?" She looked at him. "You are a talented, skilled monster, Mettaton. And one of the most confident monsters I know."

"I know but..." he looked at her with a look of sympathy. "so are you." he finished. "I wouldn't be where I am today without you..."

"C'mon," She smiled empathetically. "But you have a winning personality that attracts people, which is a main part of who you are."

"You are as much a star as I am, darling." he said making his way over to her. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Especially yourself. I....I care about you....more than you know..." he hugged her.

She hugged him. "Are you worried? About what could happen that would make you use these installations?" She peered up at the sparkling, beautiful robot.

He nodded his head. "I wasn't there to protect you last time." he said. "It won't happen again..."

"And you can count on me to be there, too!" Undyne grinned at her girlfriend. 

"Mettaton and I...we're gonna kick as many asses as we have to!" She said. "We ain't letting you get hurt again."

"Thank you," Alphys hugged them both.   
"B-but keep in mind, I don't want either of you to seriously hurt either, okay?"

"Course not!" Undyne said. "Gonna need both of us to take care of the baby!"

"Why don't you try out another function, Mettaton? Then we can go back inside, if you guys want," She stepped back and looked at both of them.

"Of course." Mettaton said. "What would you like me to test?"

"Whatever you want," She said, taking anot her step back to allow him room. "You can fly, Mettaton."

"Are the rockets loud?" he asked. "I don't wanna wake your baby."

"They shouldn't be. I hope they aren't. "

"Do you want me to go somewhere else, then?" he asked. "Somewhere the baby won't hear it?"

She stood, considering it.   
"Let's... go over that way, just a bit further away."

Mettaton went over to where she pointed out and nodded his head. "How do I activate them?"

"The same way you activated the other ability," She winked.

He thought about the rockets appearing and making him take off into the air.

Soon enough, rocket jets flipped outwards from his back where his shoulder blades would be and the engines revved, the openings glowing a brilliant orange.

"My goodness!" he gasped as he started flying off into the air.

Alphys and Undyne gawked at the invention she had crafted. 

"You're amazing Alphys!" Undyne had starry eyes.

She couldn't take her eyes off of the gleaming form whizzing through the air.  
"I... I -I g-guess I am..."

Mettaton landed gracefully as the rockets reverted back inside of him. "That was amazing, Alphys!" Mettaton beamed. "I never felt so alive!"

The lizard monster chuckled. "Good," She grinned.

"Can you add stuff to my armor?" Undyne asked, excited.

"Like what?" Her small lover asked. "I guess it could be more like the process of when I actually built Mettaton's body. I could weld things like spikes onto it."

"Maybe....is there a way to make it lighter?" Undyne asked. "Make it easier for me to move around?"

"I think I'd have to completely remake it out of a lighter material to do that," The scientist sighed. "If I do, I'll try to make it heat-resistant so it doesn't heat up on you, too."

"Maybe I can add a couple other things." Alphys said. "A gas mask from the helmet, lenses with different vision modes. An armor lock in case if you get hurt...."

Her girlfriend was speechless. She was just astonished at Alphys's ingenuity.

"I could probably add a few other modifications..." Alphys said. Thinking about the special food she's been giving Undyne for years. Food injected with very tiny amounts of Determination. She didn't know it, but that Determination came to good use in another timeline. If Alphys could modify the armor to help Undyne the way she wanted. The warrior might be able to maintain control of the power she doesn't even know she has.

Mettaton returned to them and they went back inside to relax a bit and check on Charabdyss.

The baby opened his eyes and smiled at his two mothers. Mumbling and giggling.

Alphys sat down beside his crib, feeling tired from relief. She took him out and held him in her arms.

He nuzzled his head in her arms with a smile and closed his eyes again. He already loved both Alphys and Undyne dearly.

"What're you gonna do now, you two?" She asked, cradling and rocking the baby gently back and forth.

"I think I'll crash with you tonight." Undyne said.

"And I want to protect my darling Alphys." Mettaton said. "Prepare yourselves, darlings. Because you're stuck with me until those criminals are caught."

They laughed. "Alright."

Alphys continued to rock the baby in her arms until she got even more tired.

Undyne and the glamorous bot giggled quietly, watching the scientist fall asleep with the baby in her arms.

It warmed Undyne's heart. She could tell already that her partner loved the baby dearly, and so did she.

Mettaton watched, grinning widely at the sight.

He pulled out his cellphone and took a quick picture. Saving the moment forever.

"Did you just take a pic?" Undyne giggled as quietly as possible.

Mettaton nodded his head and texted it to her. Letting her enjoy the moment, too.

They smiled like idiots together, staring at the picture, then at Alphys with Charabdyss in her arms.

"Oh...." Mettaton giggled. "She's gonna hate us for this."

"Yeah, probably," The fish monster snickered.

"It was too cute for me to not take a picture...." Mettaton chuckled, shaking his head.

Undyne stopped for a moment.   
"Let's not share this with anyone unless she's fine with it," She whispered.

"Alright." Mettaton said. "Until then, I got a new lock screen." He chuckled devilishly as he changed his settings.

Undyne followed quickly in his footsteps, snickerING and 'awwing.'

Back at the castle, the family had finished unpacking and were all ready for bed. Watching tv together once again from the safety of Asgore's castle.

"Well, at least we're all together and safe here," Toriel looked at her children lovingly as they relaxed.

"For once we're safe and having a good time..." Frisk smiled. Marion cuddled with Habriel on the couch as they watched tv with their family.

Asgore allowed Kaizer and Halustreg to stay in the castle for the time being.

The two were in the room across the hallway from Toriel's family. In case if something did happen, they'd all be together to help each other.

They were expecting something to go awry, even in the most secure situation.

Which was why they stuck together. They'd all have each other in case if anything did happen.

Asgore retired to his own room, relieved that he was able to provide protection for the family.

Despite everything, they were grateful to him. Glad that he was willing to provide for them.

He just wanted the issue to wrap itself up soon so they could all get on with their lives.

Especially for the individuals who didn't want his company. He still cared about them, but he would prefer to not have to watch them move on from him.  
Sans wanted to stay with his lover and friends but it felt intrusive, as the family already had to sacrifice their privacy for security.

He went in to see if it was okay. Just in case if she still wanted his company. "hey tori." Sans said as he approached her.

"Hello, Sans," Toriel smiled in a tired manner.

"so, i was wondering....if you'd like me to stay with ya for the night...." he scratched the back of his skull. "paps won't mind if i'm out. i usually spend the night at grillby's anyway, so he's used to it."

"If you would like to," She replied.  
"It would be nice."

"heh...won't get any complaint outta me..." he said as he sat next to her. She wrapped an arm around him.

They cuddled in a similar fashion to Habriel and Marion.

Frisk smiled at their family, happy everyone was getting comfortable. Despite everything happening, they were happy to everyone still managing to relax. 

Asgore just wanted his children and ex to be happy, as well.

"Hey dad..." A small shrill voice muttered to Asgore. The King looked down and there was Flowey.

Asgore looked down and the sight brought a smile to his face. "Hey," He replied.

"Mind if I stay with you?" the flower asked, seemingly lonely. 

"Of course not," Asgore smiled at the flower warmly. "Stay here as long as you like."

"Okay..." Flowey laid next to Asgore and sighed. "Hey dad....will you....read me a bedtime story?"

The soft monarch could have teared up, he was overjoyed. "Sure," He stood and went to retrieve a storybook.

Flowey smiled and leaned back. Resting his head on some pillows. "Thanks dad..."

So the soft-mannered king began to read to his plant son.

Soon enough, another figure entered the room. She was in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Hey dad." Chara said. "Mind if I join?"

His eyes lit up again. "Of course, Chara," He smiled, gesturing for her to come join them.

"What's the story?" Chara asked as she laid next to her father.

"This story is called "Fluffy Bunny Plays Hide and Seek,'" Asgore explained.

"My favorite..." Flowey looked at the book. Chara simply laid back with the King's arm wrapped around her.

Asgore continued to read from the children's book in a gentle tone that practically put the children to sleep.

He smiled as Flowey snoozed and Chara buried her face in her dad's arm. 

Toriel laid her children to bed and went back to see Sans.

"hey...." Sans smiled as she re-entered the room. Happy to see her again. 

She sat down next to him, hugging him, exhausted.

They shared a brief kiss before she laid back and he was on top of her. She blushed profusely, he would too if he could. 

She put a hand on his head in a tired, sweeping motion.

He nuzzled against her as he stroked her fur. Smiling at her, they shared another kiss. 

"You tired?" She whispered.

"not at all..." he said. 

She chuckled, caressing his face. "How could that be? You sleep so often," She grinned.

"never with you..." he smiled as he scratched the back of one of her ears.

She chuckled, pulling his hood over his head.

He couldn't help but chuckle at his partner. "you kill me..." he shook his head. There it was, his genuine smile. Unlike the usual grin he carries all the time. Toriel couldn't help but be flattered when she saw it. Sharing another brief kiss, Toriel wasn't so tired anymore. They spent the rest of the night together. 

They all rested extremely well.


	40. Chapter 40

That morning, everyone woke up refreshed. Habriel slowly got out of bed and stretched his arms as Marion slowly opened her eyes. Frisk rubbed their eyes and stretched, cracking their back like usual.

"Heya." Habriel smiled at them as he saw them get up. 

"Hey," They yawn-smiled at him, waving.

"You hungry?" Habriel asked. "I can whip us up a meal if-" he forgot that he was in the castle. "nevermind, I don't even know where the kitchen is...."

They snickered. "You can whip us up a couple 'o pillows with a side of mattress," They giggled.

"Sure thing!" Habriel chirped as he threw a pillow at them. 

It hit them in the face and fell on their lap, and they barely reacted. They laughed again, picking it up and tossing it weakly back at him. He caught it effortlessly and tossed it back at them, laughing. A bedraggled Toriel entered the room to see what the noise was from.  
The children noticed her appearance. Habriel and Marion paid no mind to it while Frisk raised an eyebrow. They had no idea why she was so unkempt. She saw their expression and began to chuckle.

"morning...." Sans rubbed his eye sockets as he entered the room beside her. 

"You guys are really messy," Frisk said blatantly, making everyone laugh.

"Oh my God, Frisk..." Habriel wiped his tears. "You're right! They should clean themselves up!"

"What's so funny?" They asked around the room. They were all teary-eyed from laughing.

"Nothing..." Marion patted their back. "You'll understand later..."

They folded their arms. "That's always the answer, of course," They said.   
"Is it about the hawks and the hornets?"

Habriel clapped his hands and laughed even louder. Crying at this point. 

"What?" They turned on a dime, laughing because he was laughing.   
"The hawks and the hornets?" Marion chuckled.

Sans this whole time was hiding his face under his shirt, sweating in embarrassment. "Yes." Marion answered. "It's that."

"C'mon guys, I pretty much know what that is by now," They snickered because the others continued to laugh.

"Doesn't make it any less funny." Marions shook her head and patted Frisk's head.

Habriel pointed towards the bathroom. "Wash thyself." he said to Sans and Toriel.

Toriel and Sans retreated into the bathroom, chuckling all the way.   
"What's it supposed to be called?" They asked Marion.

"Hawks and Hornets is a good term." Marion giggled. 

"Noooo tell me what it's meant to be called!" They giggled.

"You already know!" Marion laughed. "But let's leave them alone about it, they're embarrassed enough as it is, alright?"

"I don't know," They whispered. "But alright."

Habriel went over and turned on the tv. "Here." he said. "Let's get our minds off that."

Marion snickered while leading Frisk over to the television.

Mettaton's show was on. This was a romance. The robot was in love with nothing other than his own reflection.

"Oh, Darling, I don't think this will work out," The robot exclaimed, holding a mirror to his face.

"What is this?" Habriel chuckled, shaking his head. "He couldn't find another monster?"

"No, definitely not that," Frisk said, watching the melodramatic machine.  
"He would probably do this if he was the last monster on the planet."

"I sure wouldn't be surprised." Habriel said. "His ego....its huge. But at the same time that's also what makes him fabulous."

"Maybe he saw the irony in this story himself and thought it a great idea," Marion said, keeping her eyes on the screen.

"I don't think he put that much thought into it..." Habriel said. "Why would he ironically do this to himself? Not to mention it's under the romance category, not comedy."

"Right..." They all sat, silently judging the show.

"Yeah, I wonder what his best show was..." Habriel said.

"That's easy!" Frisk stated. "The one with me in it! I tripled his views!"

Habriel and Marion chuckled. "That's actually an accomplishment for his show," Habriel snorted.

"He should have you on more often." Habriel said. "Especially if you're such a star."

They blushed. "I don't know if I could survive that..."

"You crack me up." Habriel shook his head, smiling. "You can save the world but can't be on tv..."

They swept their hair to cover their right eye and posed.  
"Well, he is the famous "killer robot,'" They said in their best MTT voice.

"Mettaton, when did you get here?" Habriel laughed.

They flaunted it.  
"Oh, Darling, hoe could you not know I was here the whole time~?"

"You're right!" Habriel said. "You always light up the room with your fabulous demeanor."

Marion giggled in the background. Toriel and Sans emerged from the bathroom looking nicer than when they had gone in.

They saw Frisk's impersonation of Mettaton with Habriel and Marion giggling around them.

"Uh oh, you got yourself a diva, tori," Sans smirked.

"they're doing pretty good." he said. "got him right down to a t."

"You mean, down to the 'MTT?'" Toriel grinned.

Sans laughed loudly. "Just the t, t." he winked at her.

They came over.   
"What's my little diva up to?" Toriel laughed. "Torturing their siblings?"

"Putting on a better show than what's on tv." Marion laughed. 

"the kid's a natural, it seems," Sans smirked. "mettaton should invest in 'em."

"That's what I'm saying!" Frisk broke out of character. "His show got super popular because of me!"

They rearranged their hair to be correct and stopped trying to be a killer robot.

"Or you can have your own show." Habriel chuckled. "We just gotta figure out the name and we're all set."

"'Frisk's Fiesta,'" Marion suggested.

"What do you think, Frisk?" Marion asked her sibling. 

"I should ask if I could have my own show," They grinned.  
"'Cooking with a Tiny Human.'"

"You wanna be a chef?" Habriel asked. "Maybe mom can teach you all her pie recipes."

"And an actor, of course," They winked. "If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"You did beat him, though." Habriel laughed.

They stood for a second, blank. "Right."

Habriel and Marion both laughed loudly. The way Frisk froze was too adorable for them.

"Don't go one-upping Mettaton too soon," Toriel laughed. "He'll get jealous."

"guy could use some humility to be honest." Sans chuckled. "i mean, do ya see the show right there?"

"Just give me a contract and I'll air my show pilot tomorrow, " Frisk smirked.

"My little sibling a star." Habriel laughed and hugged them. "I couldn't be a more proud older brother."

"You think Mettaton would sue me if I became famous?" They asked jokingly.

"Nah, he'd probably flaunt over you to be honest." Habriel said.

"What do you mean? Do you mean fawn over?" Frisk giggled.

"Nope, flaunt." Habriel said. "Lots of people gotta be jealous of him. And he I bet he'd know parading you around would get lots of reactions."

They shrugged, not sure if they liked the idea.  
"Let's get ready for breakfast," Toriel suggested.

Habriel and Marion opened the closet and saw very fancy clothes. Much more decorative than what they usually wear. 

"Whoa, where did these come from?" Frisk asked, pulling out a newly woven sweater in a style similar to their own.

"Is this what the royal family wears?" Habriel asked. "It's...pretty impressive."

Toriel came in, wearing an elaborate robe with her family crest woven in white, like her old robe.   
"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing..." Habriel said. "Marion and I just aren't used to wearing something so....fancy....."

"To be honest, neither am I," Toriel smiled, gesturing to her own embellished clothing.  
"Is Frisk getting ready?" She asked.  
Frisk emerged from their room wearing the sweater they found in the closet and a pair of jean capris.

"Alright well, we shouldn't keep them waiting." Habriel said to Marion. She nodded her head and they both went into separate rooms to change.

Other than the new clothes provided to them, Frisk still wore their plain, old, black shoes with the ensemble. It just felt right. They sat with their mother as the others were getting dressed.

Marion emerged from the room wearing a dark pink Dress with a red silver necklace dangling with a shiny red ruby in it. A lilly was carefully hanging from her hair.

"Whoa, you look like a princess!" Frisk smiled.  
"Well, technically, if you're part of the family, you are...." They laughed.  
"You look beautiful, my child," Toriel said, looking all around at the outfit.

Habriel emerged in a fine suit. A white shirt with the coat extending to his shoes. His sister's necklace dangling with the silver cross.

"And you look like a prince," Frisk turned to him, clapping their hands together. In comparison, their outfit appeared dowdy and unfitting among the others, since the others were elegant. Their outfit, however, suited them.

"We can try to find a fancy dress for you." Habriel said. "I'm sure they have something."

"Hmmm... a dress? I wonder if there'd be a dress that would fit me here," They pondered.  
Sans was still getting ready.

Marion looked through the closet and pulled out a bright cyan, child sized dress. "Do you like this?" Marion asked.

They studied it, the small frills at the hem of the dress, the color, the fine details. They nodded.  
"It's really pretty! I'd like to try it," They answered. Marion smiled as she handed the dress over to Frisk. They ran off to change again. As they closed their door, Sans came out to greet the rest of the family for the morning.

He was in a tuxedo with a clip-on bowtie. Wearing dress shoes instead of his usual slippers. He winked at Toriel. She blushed profusely, feeling underdressed in comparison. Her robe was elegantly woven and embroidered, royal robes worn by the queen, but she was flustered. She glanced away, fanning her hot face.  
Sans chuckled in response and held her hand. Smiling up at her, if skeletons could blush, his entire skull would be blue. "you look pretty." he said. 

"Thank you, S-Sans," She was barely able to look at him. In a few minutes, the door to Frisk's room opened again, and the child came out wearing the frilly petite dress. They smiled and giggled as they slowly twirled around in their dress. The frills fanned out as they spun in place, showing sparkling cobalt blue and lavender beneath the cyan dress.

"Woah!" Habriel was impressed. "Frisk, you look amazing!"

"Glad I found it, huh?" Marion smiled towards them.

"Yeah!" They hopped lightly up and down. "Thank you!"

Toriel was happy to see her family trying on such different clothing. Every one of them looked wonderful.

"We should dress like this more often," Toriel said, admiring her children and lover. Everyone agreed. They all enjoyed their outfits.

"We should eat something," Toriel said, looking towards the door to the hall. There was a knock at the door. A servant bowed to Toriel. "King Asgore has scheduled reservations at Mettaton's finest restaurant. It is good to see you're all prepared."

"We're going out?" She asked the servant, surprised.

"Mettaton's finest restaurant is reserved only for the royal family." She explained. "It's here in the castle."

"Oh, alright," She beckoned for her family to follow her. They all followed the servant. Making their way up the castle, they saw Asgore, Chara and Flowey waiting for them at a long dining table.

"I wonder where Mettaton is, speaking of him," Frisk whispered to their siblings.

"Mettaton will be serving you personally." the servant explained.

"What? Why?" Frisk asked innocently, confused. "I thought he just performs."

"Mettaton is a renown chef." The servant said. "Acquired from all of his cooking shows. The Captain of the Royal Guard and the Royal Scientist will be attending as well. Along with their adopted child."

"Oh, Alphys and Undyne are coming!" They tugged at Habriel and Marion's sleeves. "Alphys and Undyne are coming with the baby!"

"I wonder how Charabdyss is doing." Habriel thought aloud as Frisk continued tugging at him. So they went to the long table and all sat down beside each other. Soon, there were less chairs around the table what with Toriel, Sans, Frisk, Marion, Habriel, Alphys, Undyne, the baby, and Chara and Flowey. Asgore arrived as well.

Alphys and Undyne soon came in to join them. The baby in the scientist's arms. They greeted the family warmly and sat down across from them at the table, setting little Charabdyss in a chair beside Alphys. The baby had a confused look as he saw the other family approaching the table. He doesn't seem to have remembered them. Frisk waved to him, making a funny face to try to make him laugh. He giggled a little bit. Waving his toy at them and tilting his head. They chuckled, hoping that he'd remember them. They also hoped to be like a cousin to him in the future. They would try to be a better family to him than what he already lived with. Suddenly popping out their face, they laughed with a wide grin. "Peek-a-boo!" they said. This made the baby laugh to no end.

Mettaton soon walked in with an apron and chef hat. Almost dancing his way to the table. "Hello darlings!" he called.

Upon seeing the dancing robot come to the table, they hid their face again, not for the baby's entertainment.

"What would you all like to eat?" Mettaton pulled out a note with a pen.

Habriel noticed Frisk's reddened face behind their arms on the table's polished wood surface.

"You alright?" he asked them. Putting a hand on their shoulder.

They were tense, and nodded without showing their face. Habriel noticed they hid themself as soon as Mettaton arrived. Frisk hid their face, putting their head on the table, hiding it with their arms.

Mettaton jumped as he saw Frisk shot up. Blushing in their dress, his eyes sparkled. "Frisk!" he gasped. "I didn't even recognize you! You look stunning!"

They scrambled to fix their hair and make their face seem less red, smiling awkwardly.  
"Thank you," They said, trying to sound not so flustered.

"Oh my God, Sans is right..." Habriel muttered.

Habriel nudged Marion to whisper in her ear. "Marion," He whispered, barely audible.

"Mettaton and Frisk sitting in a tree." Habriel whispered.

Sans was completely entertained. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G," He continued. They giggled in amusement as they looked at Frisk who was hiding their face.

Toriel leaned in. "What are you two up to?"

"Frisk's got a puppy crush on Mettaton." Marion giggled.

First, the mother's face showed surprise. Then it turned to the feeling you get when you think something is the cutest thing ever and you care.

"That's why they're hiding from him." Habriel whispered.

Sans had a look of evil.  
"hey, mettaton, frisk has-"   
"NOTHING, I have nothing," Frisk shushed him as fast as they could move.

"Has what, darling?" Mettaton raised a metallic eyebrow.

Frisk had their hands over Sans's face to try to block his words out.  
"Don't worry about it," They said sheepishly, laughing nervously.

"Alright, well what would you all like to eat?" he asked.

Sans was all for opportunity.   
"they'd like the mtt shaped steak," He had the biggest, defeating grin plastered on his face.  
Frisk sunk in their chair, giving up for the time being.

"I'll take an omelette." Habriel said. "With mushrooms and onions, please. Oh and a cup of coffee."

"I'll take a short stack of plain pancakes." Marion said. "With a glass of water."

Mettaton turned to Toriel and Sans. "And what about you two lovebirds?" Mettaton asked with a silly grin.

"a burg," Sans replied.   
"I would like an omelette, like Habriel," Toriel requested.

"Mhmm." he wrote everything down. "Everything'll be ready in a short while." Mettaton said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

Once he was out of sight, Frisk's face reddened furiously again and they whipped around in their seat to face the short skeleton.  
"Wh-whyyyyyy?" They almost yelled. Asgore, Chara, and Flowey stared from across the table silently.  
Sans shrugged and winked.

The assistant taking Asgore's, Chara's and FLowey's orders jumped. As well as the one who was taking Undyne's and Alphys'. They turned to a snickering Habriel and said the same thing. Habriel snickered as well. Marion hid her face in the palms of her hands. They struggled to hide their laughter as she wrapped an arm around Habriel's shoulder.

"Guuuuuuuys!" Frisk could have stamped their foot while they were sitting there, but they were in the presence of royalty. Habriel wiped his tears while Marion helped calm everyone down. Frisk sat with their arms folded. "I am not pleased with you people," They muttered.

"Sorry Frisk." Habriel said. "It's just too adorable."

"No it's not!" They said indignantly. "Do not say anything to him."

"It really is." Habriel said. "No wonder you talked about him so much."

Their skin burned redder.  
"Stooop," They demanded weakly.

"You wanna grow up to be just like him?" Marion asked.

They covered their face.  
"Stooooop," They repeated.

"It's not a bad thing, Frisk." Habriel said. "He's very talented and charismatic. I wouldn't mind being him."

Their head was back on the table; they groaned for a minute long. In a little while, the doors opened to the room again and Mettaton was back.

He brought over a large table carrying everything everyone ordered. He quickly extended his arms and handed each respective plate to everyone. Frisk's head was up so the plate could go on the table, but they weren't making eye contact with anyone.

"What's the matter darling?" Mettaton asked. Noticing the small child's mood.

"Frisk has a crush on you." Flowey said with a demonic smile.

Frisk shot out of their chair, which slid back, almost falling over.   
"Bye," They just said and rushed out of the room.

The robot didn't know what to say. He had no idea he made such an impression on Frisk. 

Habriel got up to retrieve Frisk. Frisk was at the end of the long hallway which led to the dining room, sitting. They had wedged themself far into one of the corners.

"Hey Frisk." Habriel said as he put a hand on their shoulders.

They barely said a "hi."  
While Mettaton stood frozen, Marion said, "They were doing really good impressions of you, too. They want their own tv show."

"I'll gladly sponsor them." Mettaton laughed. "They are our little star."

"C'mon, Frisk." Habriel said. "We all think it's good you like him. There's not much to not like about him."

They wouldn't move.  
"I've been a fool," They muttered.

"What makes you say that?" Habriel asked.

"Flowey made me seem stupid. I felt foolish because you guys were laughing. Plus, he's too famous."

"We were laughing because it's adorable. Not to make fun of you." Habriel said. "You're about as famous as he is at this point."

"No," they shook their head. "Someone like that is practically untouchable. I'm being stupid," they said determined.

"Frisk, you tripled his views in the one show you were in." Habriel said. "You saved the world and monster kind. Trust me, if anyone is untouchable, it's you."

They looked up at him.   
"Habriel. He's out of my league," They said blankly.

"In what way?" Habriel asked. "You out performed him in his own show."

They shrugged. "You know. He's just... that. Even with that, he's just so confident, glamorous and has so many fans."

"Frisk." Habriel knelt down and looked them in their eyes. "So do you. Everyone down here adores you, never forget that." he hugged them. "We all love you Frisk."

They sniffled. "Thanks. I just don't know if I can go back there and face him. No thanks to Flowey," They rolled their eyes.

"It's fine." Habriel said. "I'm sure Mettaton would be more than happy to serve you breakfast. Don't worry about Flowey."

Their face was still red, but they looked grateful for their brother's words of wisdom. They stood up and nodded.  
"...Alright."

"Let's go back and enjoy breakfast." Habriel said.

They walked back quietly; though they understood what Habriel said, it still felt like some kind of walk of shame.

Making it back to the table, he gave them a pat on the back. "So Frisk." Mettaton said. "I heard you want your own show."

"Y-yeah," they nodded, barely making eye contact with the star.

"I'd be happy to help you jump start it." he said.

They blushed, and opened their eyes huge.  
"You would?!"

He smiled and nodded his head. "Of course, darling." Mettaton said. "Anything for a friend."

Their face turned a red hue and they glanced away upon hearing the word.  
"I'm sorry, Mettaton."

"What's the matter?" Mettaton asked. 

"You heard Flowey," They said, shrugging and shaking their head, covering their face.

"Frisk, I adore you." Mettaton said. "You're like part of a family to me. We've all had our childhood crushes, darling."

They wanted to sink into a hole somewhere.  
"Yeahhhh," They cringed at the phrase. They felt foolish and childish.

"But don't worry, Frisk." Mettaton said. "This is very normal among children. You've handled it much better than what I've seen from others."

"Forget I said or felt anything," They said, covering their face with their hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things so weird and awkward."

"You didn't, darling." Mettaton said. "Lots of people have feelings towards me. It's fine."

"That makes it worse," They sighed, revealing their face again. "I'm just like everyone else."

"That's where you're wrong, darling." Mettaton said. "Out of everyone I've met, none shine like you. Don't beat yourself up."

They blushed furiously. "Thanks..."

"How's everyone's breakfast?" Mettaton asked.

"'ts great," Sans smiled.  
"Thank you, Mettaton," Toriel said.

"You did a wonderful job." Habriel said.

"It's delicious." Marion giggled.

The fabulous robot grinned at the reception.  
"Wonderful!"

"Would anyone like a dessert?" He asked, getting up. "I'll be more than happy to make it for all of you."

"Oh, no thank you, Mettaton, " Toriel shook her head.  
Sans, Chara, and Flowey also shook their heads in response.

"I think we're good, but thanks." Habriel said, Marion agreed.

Frisk agreed with the others, nodding silently.

"Alright darlings." Mettaton sat back down. "Enjoy your meals."

They all thanked him in various ways simultaneously and went back to conversing with each other.

"So do you wanna do anything?" Marion asked her boyfriend. "Wanna explore the castle a little bit?"

Frisk ate glumly, still sightly mortified that they looked so desperate to such a celebrity, but they felt a bit better. They ate quietly without talking to people at the table much.

Alphys and Undyne worked together to feed their baby. Charabdyss thought it was funny to turn his head away from the spoon at the last second.

They gently held his head and guided the spoon to him, hoping he would start to cooperate with them. He was cute, but he was mischievous. He opened his mouth but turned his head away again at the last second. Laughing even more.

"Come on, Charabdyss," Undyne chuckled. "It's not funny, you need to eat." She tried to feed him again, but the baby looked up at the ceiling at the last second; giggling to no end. She sat for a moment, exhaling from frustration. She handed the spoon to Alphys. "You try this time."  
"A-alright, let's try again," Alphys sighed. "Come on, Charabdyss." Charabdyss opened his mouth. Just when Alphys was about to put the food in, he closed his mouth. A muffled giggling could be heard.  
"Hey," Undyne called to Toriel and Asgore, who decided to get up and come over, seeing that there was an issue.

"What's wrong?" Asgore asked.

"How do you get a fussy baby to eat?" She asked bluntly.

"Charabdyss thinks it's funny to turn his head away or close his mouth." Undyne said. "We've tried everything, would you mind helping us?"

"Well, there's multiple ways to do it, and every baby's different," Toriel said thoughtfully, looking at the cute infant in his chair.  
"If you wait, he might change his tune."

"So, wait till he's hungry?" Undyne asked.

The experienced mother nodded. "He'll change his mind soon. If you have any more problems, call us back," She smiled.

"Alright." Undyne nodded her head and gave Charabdyss a determined look. "Thanks." she said to Toriel as she made her way back to her seat. Toriel sat down beside her children once again. They all had finished their breakfast. All stuffed and satisfied, they continued to joke and gossip. Frisk kept shooting glances at Flowey, trying to get him to notice that they were still annoyed with him for blurting out their feelings for Mettaton. The flower raised an eyebrow. A little unsure as to why Frisk seemed a little annoyed. They folded their arms at the impudent plant and stared expectantly. The flower didn't know what he was supposed to do. He saw the impatient look at Frisk, but he didn't want to get out of his seat. They sighed and shook their head, closing their eyes and sitting back in their chair. The flower shrugged. What was he supposed to do? Get up and come over to them?

They sat with their eyes closed for a while, trying to clear their head. Flowey shrugged it off and went back to talking with Chara and Asgore. Whatever it was that annoyed them, it could be addressed later.

'Can't believe him,' They thought to themself.  
'Why did he have to do that?!'

'What's got their goat?' Flowey thought. 'They really have hard feelings over that? It was so obvious to everyone!'

The rest of the meal came and went quickly and the time came for the diners to part ways.

Sans, Toriel and her children all were on their way back downstairs to their room when Flowey and Chara approached Toriel.

"Dad says it's your week, now." Chara said.

"Oh, right!" Toriel grinned and embraced them immediately. 

"We missed you, mom." Chara said, hugging back.

"I missed you both a lot," She said, grateful that they were with her.

Chara smiled with Flowey in her arms when they finished hugging. Happy to be with her other family again. Then Flowey recalled Frisk's expression during breakfast. He looked over to see if they were still annoyed with him. They seemed to have gotten over it, but remained quiet. Flowey shrugged it off and turned back to his mother, smiling at her. "Hi mom." he said.

"Hi," She smiled cheerily. She pet his petal-covered head.

"Ow...mom!" Flowey got irritated. "You're messing up my petals!" He groaned as she started to laugh.

"You never liked that when I did that to your fur, either," She chuckled. It was moments like this that she missed.

"Moooom!" Flowey groaned. "Its embarrassing!" Habriel couldn't help but hide his smile.

"My child, it's felt like a while," She let him go.

"I know..." Flowey sighed. He looked around. 

Chara had a devilish grin. "Weren't you excited last night that you were going to see her today?" Chara asked. "You said you missed her, as well." Flowey gasped and glared at Chara.

Frisk and Habriel had devilish grins on as well.   
Toriel's face lit up. "Awww!" She wanted to hug him so badly.

"Here ya go, mom!" Chara handed Flowey over to their mother. "I think he needs a kiss from mommy!"

"Oh, don't mind if I do!" She joked, laughing.

"What!?" Flowey gasped as he looked down to see his pot was already in Toriel's arms. She smiled down at him.

"We're joking, don't worry," She reassured him. She booped the center of his round face with her index finger.

"Oh....okay..." Flowey said. He let his guard down and at that moment, Toriel striked. Giving him a quick kiss. His face turned bright red from the blushing as she laughed uncontrollably, handing the pot back to Chara. "MOM!" He shrieked, hiding his face within a shield of petals.

She laughed loudly. "I'm sorry my child." she wiped a tear away. "I simply couldn't resist."

The plant refused to open the petals concealing his white face.  
"C'mon, Chara, why'd you have to do that?"

"For Frisk." Chara stated simply. She high-fived her younger sibling. "Though you didn't have to do that, thanks," They grinned.

"Now this was fun to watch." Habriel chuckled with Marion.

"Weren't you two going to explore the castle? I won't get in your way," Toriel recalled.  
"Unless you'd need or want someone who knows this place up and down to guide you."

"Do you still wanna do that?" Habriel asked Marion. "Would you also want a guide if you do?"

"Sure, I still wanna go explore with you," She agreed. "Should we have a guide?"

"I don't know." Habriel said, he turned to Toriel. "You're the one who asked. Does that mean you think we should?"

"I mean, I know the castle inside and out, plus it's a bit risky to go somewhere on your own at this point, Habriel, with Sommers and Gacy on the loose," Toriel said wisely.

"Alright, if you wanna guide us throughout the castle." Habriel turned to Marion. "Is that okay with you?" She nodded her head. "Alright, cool."

Toriel turned to Chara, Glowey, and Frisk.  
"You three stay either with the king or back in the safe room."

"Where do you wanna go?" Habriel asked his girlfriend. "There a part of the castle you wanna explore?"

"Not in particular," She stood thinking for a moment. "How about you, Habriel?"

"I kind of just want to move around and see what we can find." Habriel said. "You know, nothing specific."

"I can show you both around, or just follow behind," Toriel nodded.

"Would you mind showing us around?" Habriel asked.

"Of course not," The mother grinned. "It's been a while since I ventured around this place."

"Thanks!" Habriel smiled as he followed his mother with Marion.

"So, you two already know the throne and dining rooms..." They walked down a long hall. "The place we're staying is considered one of the safest rooms in the castle and the surrounding area..."  
Back in the room, Frisk and Chara were having a heated debate on whether Flowey would be able to spread seeds and make more flowers in the soil.

"That's really cool." Habriel said, following his mother.

"The structure is really pretty." Marion said.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Flowey's a flower!" Frisk insisted. "He should be able to do it like any other flower!"

"He's not a normal flower," Chara argued. "He's also partly a person."

"He should still be able to reproduce, though!" Frisk said.

"But the place the seeds are produced on a normal flower serves as his face on his body," They pointed out.

"He can make pellets with his magic." Frisk said. "He can probably make seeds, no problem."

"Hmm, I dunno..." The humans stood together pondering over the subject. They turned towards the flower with darkened faces.  
"W-what?" Flowey stuttered as they stared. "What do you want?"

"Do you think you can make seeds with magic?" Frisk asked. 

"W-what? I mean..."  
"Or are you too much of a monster than a plant?" Chara interjected.  
"Uh..."

"We're both curious." Frisk said. "You mind trying it?"

They stood with their faces close together at his level, eyes wide.  
He shrugged with his leaves, wanting to shrink away into his ceramic pot.  
"Ooookayyyy..."

"Cool!" Frisk pumped a fist in the air. 

"I just don't know how I'll form any seeds just using my magic- it probably had to start as something I would have been able to do already. Just warning you that it may not work."

"It's worth a shot!" Frisk wore a determined look, so did Chara. 

Flowey seemed doubtful, but he scrunched up his face and began to sweat, focusing his magic. For a moment, they all sat like this. Then, he exhaled, relaxing his stem.   
"I got nothing."

Frisk sighed and looked down at the ground while Chara pumped a fist in the air. 

"What do you want me to do? I was halfway to laying an egg there!" He rolled his eyes, his leaves out like hands.

"I was expecting....I don't know....something....." Frisk muttered. 

"I can try to plant 'friendliness pellets' in the ground, for your amusement," The flower shrugged, not knowing what else to do.

Frisk giggled while Chara shrugged. Neither were sure that would do anything. 

"Come on, guys, you seemed to have higher expectations," Flowey huffed.

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Well yeah..." they said. "I mean, you did a lot of weird things as a flower...."

"Not that many," He glanced at his soil.

"Believe me...." Frisk said. "You did a lot."

"Like?" He was using his leaves to indicate he wanted them to explain.

"Transform into a giant monster." Frisk said. "Control time, kill people, etc." 

"Right," He muttered, wilting.

"Well, at least one mystery is solved, I guess..." they shrugged. 

"Now, can he be cross-pollinated with an echo flower? Does he have pollen?" Frisk asked.   
Flowey groaned long and hard.  
"Are you two scientists going to debate about it?"

"We're curious." Frisk shrugged. "You're one of a kind."

"Guess we can debate it," Chara shrugged with a funny expression.  
Flowey sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright, go at it."

"Which side of the debate do you wanna be in?" Frisk asked. 

"I'll fight for the fact that he probably doesn't have pollen at all," Chara answered.

"Alright, let's see if I can do better here." Frisk said.

Meanwhile, Toriel showed the lovebirds the west wing of the castle. "It's beautiful..." Habriel looked around, admiring everything.   
"It sure is," Toriel said. "It took years to build it and Asgore and I stayed in the house here before it was complete."

"You must have been excited...." Habriel said. 

"Yeah," She trailed off, reminiscing about the past. But things like that could never happen now. Habriel had wondered what life would have been like. He had never lived a royal life. This was the closest thing to it. 

"I don't know if you wanted to live here," Toriel sighed. "I just didn't want to go back here because the responsibility is high."

"Honestly..." Habriel said. "Anywhere with you guys is home enough for me."

"Yeah...." Marion said. "I can't imagine life without you guys." She hugged them.

"You children make everything worth it," She muttered. "Being queen was a high title with high expectations, and too much stress. It was hard having the fate of your friends on your shoulders."

"You're very brave for walking away from that." Habriel said while hugging back.

"I don't think I'd know what to do." Marion said, hugging as well.

"It was especially difficult with all the pressure to make the right decision for the people," She hardened her face. "When it came to breaking the barrier, I staunchy believed in sparing any human, especially a child, that fell into our domain. But the monsters were desperate, and loathed me for my viewpoint. Suddenly, some of my brethren weren't so kind."

"I'm really sorry..." Habriel muttered. "I wish we could have been there to help you...."

"It's quite alright, my child, it would have been difficult for us to solve. Anyway, the monsters still act that way, wanting their cowardly queen to come back and face her subjects. I just try to ignore it," She led them down another hall, showing them a grand library lined to the ceiling in books.

"Of course..." Habriel shook his head. "Meanwhile none of them even have what it takes to make hard decisions...."

She chuckled. "My child I'm not special, either," She chuckled. She stared at the bookshelves before them before saying "This is the Royal Library."

"Woah...." Marion looked around, fascinated with all the books around her. "This is amazing..."

"Unfortunately, I didn't get to go here much, but it's here at our disposal if we need," She said.

"We were supposed to come here once to see if we can learn anything about Seraph...." Habriel said. "Not much there to learn other than he's a jerk." Marion and their mother laughed at that comment. "Do you think we could find something about the Cathedral here?" Habriel asked.

"I don't know, " Toriel answered. "Would you like to look now? We have time."

He nodded his head. "Might as well since we're here."

"Alright." The three went through sections of shelves to search for books that might contain what they hoped to find. Habriel specifically looked through books about dark magic. Toriel researched human history. While Marion read books on human and monster religion.


	41. Chapter 41

Frisk and Chara were at a stalemate in their aegging while Flowey just sat and listened, whether he wanted to or not. "I'm getting bored." Frisk said. "Wanna play a game or something?"

"Yeah, this isn't going anywhere," Their older sister agreed. 'Finally,' The flower thought to himself.

"What do you wanna do?" Frisk asked.

"20 questions?" Flowey said.

"Sure." Frisk said, turning to Chara. "What do you think?"

"Sounds fun."  
"I'll start," Their brother stated simply. "Alriiiight, I have it. Ask away."

"Sooo..." Flowey said. "Why are you two so curious about me?"

"Flowey, that's not how the game works," Chara smirked. "In 20 questions, one person is supposed to think of a specific person, place, or thing, and the others have to guses it within 20 yes or no questions."

"Alright..." Flowey said. "I've got something in mind, I guess."

"Okay, is it a person?" Frisk asked.

"Yup." Flowey nodded his head.

"Is it a monster?" Chara asked him.

"No." Flowey shook his head.

"Is it a human?" Flowey's siblings asked simultaneously, and looked at each other, then back at him.

"Well....yes and no." Flowey said.

Chara laid a hand at her chin in contemplation, squinting.  
"Is it... Seraph?" She asked Flowey, eyes sparkling.

"Nope." Flowey shook his head. "Someone else."

"Okay..."  
Both human children sat contemplating the possible answer. Who could Flowey be referring to?  
"Could it be... uh..." Frisk trailed off, back into their own thoughts.

Chara gasped and looked at the flower. "Me?" She asked. Flowey nodded his head.

"D'awww," She grinned like an idiot.

"Always thinking of my best friend." the flower smiled.

Frisk made the same face as Chara.  
"Alright, one of you think of something for the others to guess," Flowey said.  
"I got something," Frisk said immediately.

"Is it a thing?" Flowey asked.

"Nnnope," They grinned. 'They'll never guess this,' They thought.

"Is it a place?" Chara asked.

"Nnnnoooooope," They smirked.

"Is it a person?" Flowey asked.

"Bingo!" Frisk announced.

"A monster?" asked Chara.

"Right-a-rooni!" They chirped.

"A boy?" Flowey asked.

"Yep," Frisk nodded.  
"Who could it be? Sans? Papyrus?" Chara asked. Frisk shook their head to both.

"Is he old?" Flowey asked.

"Yeah," They nodded, wondering if Flowey was getting it.

"Is he a boss monster?" Flowey asked.

"Uh... I think so," Frisk said, wracking their brain for the details.

"Are they a merchant?" Flowey asked. They nodded, their mouth dropping and eyes widening.

"Is it Gerson?" Flowey asked.

"How did you know?!" They asked, jumping up and down.

"I asked the right questions." Flowey made a confident smirk.

"No, but seriously," They said flatly. "How?"

"No, seriously." Flowey said. "That was it. No secret, I just knew what questions would narrow it down for me."

"Okay I have one now," Chara smiled. 

"Is it a person?" Frisk asked.

"A place?" Flowey asked.

"Yes to Frisk's question," She replied, nodding.

"Is it a monster?" Flowey asked.

"A human?" Frisk asked.

"Yes it is, Flowey," She confirmed.   
"Is it a boss monster?" Frisk questioned.  
"Yes."

"Is it a girl?" Frisk asked.

"Yep," Chara nodded.

"Is it mom?" Frisk asked.

"Yep!" Chara chirped, pleased.

"I've got one." Flowey said.

"Is it a person?" Frisk asked him.  
"How about a thing?" Chara chimed in.

"Yes to Frisk." Flowey said.

"Is it a monster?" Chara asked.   
"Or a human?" Added Frisk.

"Yes and no to Chara." Flowey said. His siblings stared at each other with puzzled faces, stumped. "Well?" Flowey grinned. "Got any more questions?"

"It's a human... and a monster?" Frisk repeated.

"No, this person was a monster and something else. Never a human." Flowey said. 

"Is it you?" Frisk pointed at the plant, squinting.

"You got it!" Flowey winked. 

"Noice," They nodded approvingly.   
\--------------------------------------

Toriel, Marion, and Habriel continued to search the library.

"Did you find anything?" Habriel asked as he approached Marion.

"Unfortunately, no," She stood up from the bottom shelf and looked over.

"Wanna see if mom found anything?" Habriel asked. She nodded her head and they went off to find Toriel. They saw her down a long aisle of shelves standing carefully on a wooden ladder used to reach higher shelves. They approached her as she looked through the shelves. "Did you find anything?" they asked simultaneously. They looked at each other.

She seemed to be studying the titles of the volumes at her eye level. "Not yet..."

"Unfortunately, neither have us." Habriel said. "I searched through all the categories I was supposed to, and nothing. Neither has Marion."

"It seems we are at a standstill," Toriel said, climbing down the wood ladder.

"Well, it's not like we would find much, anyway." Habriel shrugged. "I doubt there's a human library with all the secrets about monsters if you know what I mean."

"Certainly not after we were trapped down here," Toriel shook her head. " Well, what should we do?"

"Wanna head back and see what the others are up to?" Habriel asked. 

"Sure," Marion and Toriel agreed.

They made their way through the castle back to their family. Frisk, Chara and Flowey had started playing rock-paper-scissors. Flowey was busy complaining about the fact that he couldn't do scissors, just rock and paper.

"That's easy." Chara said. "Just use your other vine at the last moment when you wanna do scissors."

"Fine," He huffed indignantly. "Thus game was made for people with fingers," He grumbled.

"Well, with Habriel and Marion's help..." Chara shrugged. "You'll have fingers again." The monster-plant sighed, his petals drooping.

"Just you wait, you'll have those furry white hands back in no time!" Chara winked and smiled. 

He perked up a bit. "That would be great," He smiled.

"Then you'll be able to make scissors with your hands all you want." Frisk said.

"Then I'll have a fair chance at winning this game," He said excitedly.

"Wanna play something else?" Chara asked. Habriel, Marion, and Toriel sat with the three of them.

"What game do you wanna play?" Frisk asked.

"Wanna play some video games?" Flowey asked.

"Do we have any here to play?" Frisk asked, gesturing to all around them.

"Yup!" Flowey nodded his head. "We got plenty!"

"Sounds fun, then!" Frisk clapped their hands together.

"Mind if I join?" Marion asked following them.

Habriel smiled and pulled out a book of his own. "I couldn't find anything about Seraph or the Cathedral. But I did find some pleasure reading."

"Sure you can, Marion," Chara nodded, smiling.

"Wanna read with me?" Habriel asked his mother.

"Sure, my child," Toriel came over to accompany him. They sat by where the rest of their family were. They read this new book together while the others were playing a game.

"Kaizer," The king sat on his throne with his phone to his ear. The skeleton stood out near the entrance of the castle, surveying the area, patrolling when necessary."Have you caught wind of anything on the jesters or on Azo?"

"No, I'm sorry." Kaiser sighed. "We've found nothing so far."

The king sighed and grumbled a bit. "How about the person who attacked Alphys and you?"

"Since he obviously had a cell phone on him. We ordered all the people in the Underground with a registered phone to turn it off. Making it easier for us to track him down." Kaizer explained. "The trackers are looking for his signal as we speak."

"Good. Hopefully, he didn't get the memo," Asgore said.

"That's what we're betting on." Kaizer said. "Don't worry, your highness. We'll catch them in no time."

"Thank you for all that you're doing," Asgore said to the skeleton.

Kaizer nodded his head as Halustreg approached him. "We've got a signal." the goat monster said. "We're tracking it down, now."

"Excellent," The skeleton nodded, then relayed the information to Asgore.

"We're heading to it, now." Kaizer said as he followed Halustreg.

"Great. Please keep me on the line so we can continue to communicate, " The king replied. "It would be good for me to hear what's happening firsthand."

"I will." Kaizer said as he was heading to the location. He kept the phone at his ear, sitting and waiting to hear anything more.

"Captain!" Halustreg called. "We've got something!"

"What?" Kaizer caught up with the goat monster.

"Signal's in this cabin!" Halustreg said. "Door's locked, we're breaching, now!" Asgore stayed still, as if his life depended on it.

He heard the door breach open and the team rush inside. "What the Hell!?" Halustreg gasped. "It's empty!"

"No, see that phone?" Kaizer asked. "That's our signal."

Halustreg huffed in disappointment that nobody was there. "Well, we can take the phone for further investigation," Kaizer said, reaching for it.

"Wait a minute...." Kaizer paused. All that could be heard was a light beeping. He panicked. "GET OUT OF HERE!" Asgore shot straight up with the phone, wondering what was wrong. Halustreg and Kaizer fled immediately. All that could be heard was an explosion from the phone.

He stood, waiting to hear anything else. "Kaizer? Halustreg?"

"We're fine!" Kaizer breathed heavily. "Everyone's fine."

"Thank goodness," Their king breathed. "So it was a trap to deceive us the whole time..."

"Yeah, guess they got the memo, too." Kaizer sighed.

"What exploded?" Asgore asked. "And I recommend you come back as soon as you can."

"The cellphone." Kaizer said. "It started beeping with an error message. I knew that was no good."

"Wow, it's amazing someone can make a phone blow up," Halustreg sighed, brushing himself off as they set off back towards the castle.

"No one's here, though." Kaizer said. "They obviously knew we were coming. They got the memo and planted that trap for us. Meaning they knew what we were planning. The only ones who knew of us, were Asgore, the Royal Guard and ourselves. It's just you and me here, Saber and Lepra and are in Snowdin. The Royal Guard are....are...."

"They're back at the castle..." Halustreg said. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the room where the family was playing video games and reading books. Two Royal Guards completely covered in armor entered the room. They saluted the family. "Something happened outside and King Asgore ordered us to watch over you."

Toriel was in queen and mother-mode.   
"What happened? Is anyone hurt? Has the castle been breached?" She asked a torrent of questions.

"No, something happened to the Royal Espionage and we were ordered to keep you safe." One of the guards answered. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My only question is if I were them, where would I hide?" Kaizer pondered. He tried to figure out where the outlaws could be hiding as he was making his way back to the castle. Suddenly, he gasped.

"What is it?" Halustreg asked. 

"We have to get moving!" Kaizer snapped. 

"Alright, but what happened?" Toriel demanded.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What is it? How do you keep noticing things that I don't?" Halustreg asked hurriedly.

"A bomb had gone off where the Royal Espionage thought where the criminals would be. Meaning they could be anywhere, thus we were stationed here." The guard explained.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Think about it!" Kaizer said. "The only way they could have known what we were up to is if they had listened in on our plans! The only people aware of out plans were King Asgore, us, and the Royal Guard. We either have traitors in our midst or something else is going on. Also, where do you think is the best spot to hide from someone?"

"Right under their nose..." Halustreg widened his eyes.

The children stopped playing their game, pausing it without exiting the game.  
"Whoa," Chara mumbled.  
"Thank you for telling me," Toriel nodded. They would remain here for most of the day.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skeleton and his less experienced companion tore towards the castle. One of the guards motioned for Habriel to follow. "We should get going." he said.

He looked at the guards, then at his family. Toriel nodded grimly. "You should go," She said simply.

"Alright..." Habriel said as he got up to follow the guard. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My King!" Kaizer rushed to Asgore. "We have to get to the family, they're in danger!"

"What do you mean?" Asgore asked. "They're safe and sound. Not even the Royal Guard know where they are."

"Wait," His mother said quickly. "I should come with. Children, stay here no matter what." Habriel followed the guard down the hallway, unsure where exactly they were going.

"Wait!" Toriel ran out of the room, running after them.

"I'm sorry ma'am." The guard said. "King Asgore said for Habriel to be escorted alone."

"That doesn't sound like him," She retorted, speed walking towards them.  
"He wouldn't just single him out. He'd try to protect us all."

"He is." The guard said. "However, he doesn't want to keep his eggs in one nest if you know what I mean."

She had a feeling rising in her stomach that made her scared.  
"I want to see what happens to him," She demanded.

"What are you talking about?" The guard asked. "He's just being moved." 

"I..." She stood, feeling frightened and foolish. "Fine."

"Let's go." The guard motioned for Habriel to follow. Habriel nodded his head and went on. Watching them go, she pulled out her phone and dialed her ex to ask him if he ordered this.

"This is Asgore." The King said as he picked up the phone. "Who might this be?" Kaizer and Halustreg were already on their way to the family. 

"Toriel," She said without a breath. "Did you ask any of the guards to come move Habriel to a 'safe location?'" She asked.

"What? No." Asgore raised an eyebrow. "The Royal Guard doesn't even know where you guys are."

"CRAP," She yelled, keeping him on the line, running after them. Habriel and the guard turned around. Raising an eyebrow as they saw Toriel running towards them. 

"STOP," She yelled.

"What's wrong?" Habriel asked, scared by her sudden aggressive behavior. "What's going on?"

She grabbed onto his arm roughly without letting go.   
"He's coming with me," She said sternly.

"Mom!" Habriel gasped as he was nearly being dragged. "What's going on!?"

"Don't let go, my child, no matter what," She said, staring at the guards.  
"They're lying."

"Who's lying!?" Habriel asked. "What's happening!?"

"These guards are lying," She said under her breath. "Asgore said he didn't ask for this." The guard sighed as he opened a hand up. A purple scythe materialized as he grabbed it. He was surprisingly fast as he started breaking for them. "RUN," Toriel barked, and she and her son bolted back down the hall towards the safe room, which was no longer safe. The guard threw a pair of bolas, wrapping itself around Habriel. He couldn't even move as he crashed to the ground and the guard got even closer. Toriel skidded to a stop, reared back around, and tried to rip the thing off of her son. The guard was right there, just about to slash Toriel and Habriel when a skeletal hand grabbed him and threw him across the hall. It was Kaizer who was out of breath.

In the safe room, the kids quit their game without saving, cowering in one of the bedrooms together upon hearing the yelling and fighting. The other guard was inside the room, weapon drawn as he slowly crept around the room. A sword pierced the ground beneath his feet and the guard turned around. Seeing Halustreg as he entered the room as well. Chara, Frisk, and Flowey crammed themselves into a closet in the bedroom they hid in. "You're not hurting anyone today!" Halustreg growled. The sword popped out of the ground and returned to his hands. Both glowing red as he squinted his eyes. The children kept silent upon hearing the noise right outside. The guard in the hallway growled at the sight of Kaizer. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Toriel finally freed Habriel from his binding. Habriel watched as Kaizer slowly approached the guard, eye sockets glowing. "Come on," Toriel urged him. "The other guard went in the room!" He nodded his head and followed her into their room. Seeing Halustreg fight off the other guard.

"Children?!" Toriel called out, hoping they weren't too late. Habriel threw a violet dagger at the other guard. Joining the fight. Toriel kept calling their names, but they were afraid to emerge from their hiding spot for fear of getting hurt in the fray.

"So this is where you've been hiding." Kaizer said. "I'm impressed. You had us fooled for a while." The guard removed his helmet and revealed himself to be Sommers. With that internal grin of his.

"We're in here," Frisk called out in a muffled voice, and they all heard it. Sommers wore a devilish grin. The other guard kicked Halustreg and threw his own helmet off as well. Revealing himself to be Gacy. Sommers walked towards the bedroom where the three kids hid.

A skeletal hand threw him back into the hallway. "Don't even think about it." Kaizer growled. Gacy tried the same thing as his cousin, barging through to get to the room. Habriel grabbed hold of him while Halustreg stabbed him. Impaling the jester and keeping him stuck to the ground. Gacy growled at them from his stuck position. Habriel ran out to the hallway to help Kaizer fight Sommers. "We can't free Gacy to get into the room," Toriel said to Halustreg, exhausted. Sommers saw Habriel and charged at him, scythe in hand. Kaizer kicked him. The jester was sent sprawling on the floor like a ragdoll, something that suited him. He got up and howled monstrously at the skeleton. In the room, Gacy began to rip his body free. The jester ripped free and charged at Toriel. She screamed, and Halustreg cut him off at the last second, blocking him from reach in her.

Outside in the hallway, Sommers smacked Habriel over the head with the handle of his scythe. Knocking him to the ground. Kaizer was about to move in when the Jester picked the boy up and held the weapon over him. Kaizer formed large skeletal hands to knock Habriel out of Sommers's grasp. Habriel flew away while Sommers dodged the spear Kaizer threw at him. Kaizer knocked him in the air with another skeletal hand, however the Jester kept going. 

As a last ditched effort, the skeleton formed a magical rib cage around himself for protection. However, the jester's scythe cut through it. "Kaizer!" Habriel yelled as the blade sliced exactly between rows of ris into the skeleton inside. Kaizer coughed heavily as he dropped to his knees, the jester laughing.

"One more person who died trying to save you." Sommers giggled as he lifted his scythe. He was about to swing again when Kaizer ducked his head and a skeletal hand knocked the jester back. 

"NO!" Kaizer yelled. "Not like this! I'm not dying today!" Halustreg held Gacy off of the queen and they heard the loud commotion in the hall. Sommers threw his scythe at Habriel and the handle knocked him out. He made his way to the skeleton who launched an array of bones at him. Toriel was torn between getting to her three hiding kids close by, or seeing what happened in the hall.

Sommers was rushing over to Habriel as he picked up the scythe and lifted it in the air. Ready to finish him off. Kaizer's eyes glowed as he teleported in front of Habriel. The boy opened his eyes and widened them in shock. Watching in horror as Kaizer took the blow for him. Against the others' wishes, Flowey broke his ceramic pot and slithered his way out of the closet and out of the bedroom.

"Kaizer!" Habriel gasped. The skeleton dropped to his knees, coughing. He turned his head to face the boy.

"Sorry, kid...." he muttered. "This is it...." The jester's grin grew wide.

"No!" Habriel choked, tearing up. "You're not gonna die like this!" He looked down and saw the skeleton's HP was already at 0. Widening his eyes in shock, the skeleton smiled.

"Take care of yourself, kid..." Kaizer said. "And keep Costantia safe..." Flowey found himself face to face with Gacy as soon as he came out, and the jester took hold of him by the stem.

"It can't end like this!" Habriel whimpered. 

"Kid..." Kaizer smiled. "Look at me....do I look like I regret anything? I only had enough energy to teleport..." he explained. "And kid....you got a whole life ahead of you. Don't worry about me, kid....and don't blame yourself for this, either. I was just doing my job...." The bones all started to crack, he was fading away. "See ya, kid...." His body disintegrated as his soul appeared before the boy. Before he could do anything, the soul shattered. 

"One down." Sommers smiled. Gacy gripped Flowey's step, dragging him around as he was chased by Toriel and Halustreg. Habriel screamed in horror as Sommers laughed. Tears leaking out of his eyes, he drew his violet sword and attacked the jester. Halustreg, indecisive, couldn't choose whether to remain here chasing Gacy or go out and help Habriel and Kaizer. Sommers laughed as Habriel continuously slashed through the armor, tearing off parts of the doll as he kept going. 

"Go to Habriel, I'll get Gacy," Halustreg called, and Toriel ran to find her human son. She walked out to see a pile of dust with a crying Habriel attacking the jester.

"What?" She ran over to the pile of dust. "Is this... Kaizer?" Habriel saw Toriel and continued to cry. His reaction confirmed her suspicions. She formed fire and threw it carefully at Sommers without hitting Habriel. The ghost left the doll and vanished. Leaving everyone behind. Halustreg was still fighting Gacy. Flowey's stem was close to tearing apart. Halustreg kicked Gacy away and threw a few fireballs at him. The doll setting ablaze like Sommers. He finally dropped Flowey on the floor, whose step was long, stretched, and torn in places. The doll disintegrated and the ghost fled just like his cousin. Habriel turned to the pile of dust in the hallway and dropped to his knees, crying. Halustreg went to retrieve the hurt flower and Frisk and Chara came out of hiding. 

"Is everyone alright?" Halustreg asked.

"We're fine," Frisk said as they and Chara came out.  
"Could be better," Flowey coughed.   
The goat reached into his pocket and pulled out some monster candy. Handing it to the flower. "This should help." He said.

"Thanks," He said weakly and munched to heal himself.

"Kaizer..." Habriel muttered as he looked at the pile of dust.

Toriel put a hand on her son's shoulder. "It's hard to believe... Habriel, no matter what you think, it's not your fault. "

He hugged his mother, still crying. "I should have done something!" he insisted.

"Habriel, it wasn't your fault. How did this happen?"

"He...he saved me..." Habriel said. "He stopped Sommers from killing me."

"Well, that was his choice, and I know it's horrible to say, but it really isn't your fault."

"I wish I could believe that, right now..." Habriel was still shaken about it. 

She hugged him and helped him to stand. "I'm sorry," She murmured. "I wish it didn't happen either." They entered the room where Halustreg was using magic to heal the rest of Flowey's injuries.

"What happened to Flowey? Why is he so stretched?" Habriel asked.

"Gacy..." Halustreg sighed. "He did this to Flowey."

Flowey's stem was stretched, scratched and burnt. Halustreg used whatever magic he could to heal the flower. Flowey's HP was full again.  
He looked better.  
"Thanks," He muttered.  
"Where's Kaizer?" Halustreg asked. 

Habriel teared up again. "Halustreg...." he choked. "I'm sorry..."

"What?" Halustreg widened his eyes. "What do you mean sorry?" Habriel continued to cry. Halustreg went out into the hallway and saw the pile of dust.

"O-oh," the warrior stared, distraught. 

"I'm sorry..." Habriel said. "He....he saved me...."

"Heh, he even dies bravely," Halustreg smiled sadly.

"He didn't deserve this...." Habriel said. "He should be standing with us right now...."

"Yeah," Halustreg nodded seriously. "We have to tell Asgore."

"I'll head up and tell him." the goat monster said. Toriel gathered Flowey up and placed him on a table to be put in soil later, asking Frisk and Chara if they were harmed. Frisk shook their head and so did Chara. They were fine, they didn't get hurt during the fight.

"Good," She said, looking back at her eldest child. "We should stay here for now," She said.

"Right..." Habriel nodded his head and sat by the bed. Still morning the monster he looked up to. Halustreg walked quickly towards the room with the king to tell him of the tragedy.

"My King..." Halustreg knelt before him. "I....I have something to tell you.”   
Asgore saw his expression. "What's wrong?" He inquired, fearing the answer.

Halustreg hung his head low. "Kaizer is dead...."

His expression plummeted.   
"When I heard what Toriel said when the action initially began, I had a feeling that something awful would happen..."

A tear shed from the King. "Are you alright?" Halustreg asked.

"I'm sorry..." Asgore said. "It's just that I've known him since he was a boy..."

"He was great," The warrior agreed.

"I...I'll miss him..." Asgore said. "I'll prepare a ceremony...and inform his daughter....This is very unfortunate," He continued. "What were those guards really?"

"The jesters..." Halustreg growled.

Asgore covered his face.   
"If they know the location of the safe room, where can Toriel and the kids hide?!"

"I have no idea..." Halustreg said.

"I'll call Sans," Halustreg said, pulling out his phone.

"He's right downstairs with he rest of them." Halustreg said. "Maybe he can take them somewhere..."

Asgore felt like control was slipping right out from beneath him, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Was nowhere in the Underground safe? Where could this family hide?

"Sans?" Halustreg was on the phone.

"what's up?" Sans said on the phone. 

"Do you know of a place to hide and protect Toriel and the kids?" Halustreg asked. 

"don't have a place to hide, but they can crash at my place." Sans said. "they won't even come close without me knowing."

"Well, it's worth a shot, " Asgore heard Halustreg say. "You know what happened?"

"yeah..." Sans nodded his head. "i leave for two seconds and then this...."

"Hey, we were searuching for the jesters when it happened and we managed to drive them away," The warrior said.

"i know, i'm not upset with you...." the skeleton sighed.

"We did have a loss, though," He said, remorseful.

"what?" Sans' eye sockets turned blank. "who?"

The warrior sat down with the phone on his shoulder. "Kaizer saved Habriel from Sommers."

"i..." he didn't know what to feel. Happy it wasn't Toriel, or sad that not everyone survived.

"He was brave," Halustreg said grimly. "Now we barely stand a chance against the jesters, that demonic kid, and whoever that other guy is..." He finished bitterly.

"we'll get through this..." Sans tried to reassure him.

"You should probably come to pick up the family," The goat monster suggested. "Especially before anything else happens."

"right, i'll be right over." he said. He appeared in the room the family was in.

Toriel gasped in surprise and Frisk simply said "hi."

"got some good news and bad news for ya guys." Sans shrugged. 

"What is it?" Flowey asked, weary.

"bad news is you guys obviously aren't safe here and you have to leave." Sans said. "Good news is that you're coming with me to my place."

"Thank you," The children's mother smiled sadly at him. "You sure you want the responsibility?"

"it's fine." Sans waved it off. "always happy to have ya around."

"But," She wrung her hands, uneasy. "I don't want you to be in danger. Especially if it's because of us; that wouldn't be fair to you. "

"come on, t." He shrugged. "you know me, i'm pretty careful, y'know?" He winked. 

"Sans," he could see wrinkles under her eyes as she looked exhausted and pleading. "This is extremely dangerous and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you or Papyrus. "

"tori, it's okay." Sans said. "i mean...what other place can you guys go? i mean a place that'll actually hide ya."

Her eyes lowered. "Nowhere," She conceded.

"besides..." Sans winked. "this means we spend more time together."

She smiled in a pitiful, thankful manner that made him feel sorry for her. She didn't deserve this.  
"Thank you for helping us," She took Frisk's and Habriel's hands, and Chara followed while holding Flowey.

Making their way to the skeleton, they all either held his hands or placed a hand on his shoulders. "alright." he chuckled. His left eye socket glowed cyan and yellow. "shortcut time." They were all standing on the skeleton household living room. They all let go of Sans, and Chara went to findicate something to place Flowey in. Habriel went over to the couch and sat down, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. He shook his head, disappointed over everything that happened today. 

"What do we do?" Frisk stood off in the room. "Where can we go that we won't be chased?" They asked in a small voice.

"I really hope this doesn't turn into a thing where we have to keep moving..." Habriel sighed. 

"I just hope we can go home," Chara added, going over and sitting beside her brother on the couch.

"I think we all do..." Habriel said as he looked at her. 

"hey, at the moment, mi casa es su casa, my friends," Sans stated.

"Gracias." Habriel said as he closed his eyes. 

Toriel went and hugged Sans tightly, kissing his head.

He looked up and kissed softly. "it's good to see you're safe..." he muttered. 

"I'm glad you're so willing to help us," She said softly. "I don't know what we could do, otherwise."

"i always meant what i said." he murmured. "anything for ya, tori."


	42. Chapter 42

Frisk went and sat with their siblings. Marion came over to Habriel and sat beside him. "Hey..." she said as she wrapped an arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. He kissed back. 

"Hey..." he muttered. Toriel sat down with Sans nearby. He could see the stress and dismay in her face and body language. She sat leaning her head on her arms.

"hey..." he muttered as he nuzzled against her. He wrapped an arm around her and closed his eye sockets. 

"Hey, she said back, closing her eyes. She sighed. Frisk, Chara and Flowey followed suite. Everyone took a quick nap. It seemed like they would be running forever. They had little hope of stopping Azo and the other outlaws. They always seemed to be one step ahead of the family. Toriel was restless, even while in the safety of her lover's domain. She did not sleep well that night. She had terrible nightmares of losing her children to the criminals or her false son. She furrowed her brows and mumbled in her sleep, getting louder.

Each nightmare, it had a different child. Dying in different ways from each of the people she had been running away from. It did nothing but disturb her. Her whimpering soon woke up Sans. He saw her crying and carefully placed a hand on her shoulder. "tori..." sans muttered. "are....are you okay?" It didn't wake her up; it wasn't noticeable enough compared to her terrible dreams. "hey..." he shook her gently. "tori....get up...." She opened her eyes, wiping away stray tears so he would not see. He saw them, though. Her last nightmare was the real kicker. Azo and the jesters took their time as they slowly tortured Habriel. With him crying Toriel's name, begging for help. She could only watch. She sniffled and covered her eyes with her hands. "tori...." Sans tried to comfort her. "it's okay. it was just a nightmare."

"It feels like I already failed," She said in a muffled whimper. "I have no control of what happens to them anymore and all I want is to protect them and make them happy."

"you're not failing them...." Sans muttered. "anyone else would have given up by now."

"I just don't know how to keep them safe anymore," She cried. "I feel tired all the time and frantic."

"maybe...instead of doing it all yourself, we take care of them together." Sans suggested.

"You would do that?" Toriel turned to face him, her eyes leaking. "You would become a father for them?" He nodded his head.

Her smile was pensive. "I can't make you do that, Sans," She said, thinking it was ludicrous.

"tori..." Sans muttered. "we're in this together. i'm not just gonna sit around and watch you suffer. not when i can help."

Her tears fell in fear and gratitude. "Sans, you mean so much to me," She wept. 

He reached over and wiped her tears away, with his real smile. "now then..." He said. "let's take care of our kids...."

"I'm sorry about the noise earlier," She wiped her damp face, mussing the fur. 

"don't worry about it." He waved it off. "you're having a bad time and well....i'd have to be a real jerk to not care." She twisted around and saw her children all sleeping, lined up on the crowded sofa cushions. All except for Habriel, he was staring out the window instead. With Seraph by his side.

"No smart comments this time?" Habriel asked.

"No..." Seraph said as he floated around. 

"Why not?" Habriel asked. He was ready for another argument.

"Because I know what it's like to lose someone you look up to." Seraph said. Beside him, Frisk and Chara snoozed while leaning on each other, Flowey's pot balanced on Chara's lap.

"How did you deal with it?" Habriel asked. 

"I didn't..." Seraph muttered. "I couldn't deal with it. Didn't have the opportunity to grieve..."  
Sans got up. "t, want anything?"

"Oh, no thank you..." she said.

Habriel didn't even hear them. "Seraph?" Habriel said. "Do you....think that anything good can come out of this."

"Under normal circumstances, what goes around comes around." Seraph said. "You however are cursed and don't have that luxury. And it only gets worse from here until it's lifted." He sighed and looked at the three kids beside him, sleeping away. "What I want to know is how you keep going." Seraph said.

"Sometimes I have no idea." Habriel sighed. "There are times where I just wanna throw in the towel and say peace. Just....disappear. But then, I think about them." He pointed at his family without turning around. "And I think that I'd have to be a real asshole if I got this far with them only to check out. Sometimes that's all it takes to keep me going. I wish I could say that I never give up no matter what. But I can't. I can't just shake things off and keep going."

Seraph sighed. "You remind me of my grand nephew...." He said. "Funny enough, he wanted it all to end so many times as well. Even more funny is that he was one of the few who lived a long life bound to me...." Frisk's head lay on Chara's shoulder, their left cheek squished. Flowey's petals twitched every now and then in slumber. 

"Just keep going." Seraph said. "I know that mindset...."

"Yeah...." Habriel said. "It's funny. The reason why I want to make everyone smile and laugh all the time, why they call me nice; I don't want them feeling the way I do...At least they serve to help," Habriel said. "They know how to lighten the mood." He closed his eyes as he leaned over the window looking out to Snowdin. 'Where could the jesters be right now?' He thought. Sans was in the kitchen, sitting down at the table. 

"what's up, tori?" Sans said. Toriel walked in and got herself a glass of water. She went to the kitchen table as well. She exhaled and slumped in her chair, holding her head.  
"So, he is miserable," She said.

Sans sighed and took a sip of his drink. "habriel...." He muttered. "what do we do?"

"I've been wondering this for a long time," Toriel said, glancing around the room in melancholy.  
"'How can I help him? How can I make life easier for him?'"

"he hides something behind that smile, huh...." Sans muttered. 'sounds familiar....'

She supported her forehead in her hands, elbows on the table.  
"How about: 'How could I make his day better than the last? How can I make things  
easier to bear?'"

"it doesn't seem like much." Sans said. "but maybe we can just be there for him. and that's enough." He looked down at the ground. "i don't really know what to do about this. it's not an easy thing to live with...."

"That's why I'm so stressed constantly," She exclaimed.

He reached over and held her hands. "tori..." He muttered. "i...." He sighed. "if we work together in this. i'm sure we can figure out how to help him. then maybe, he won't be so....down...."

"Yeah," She gripped his hands and took deep breaths. It was just one thing to have her children pursued by demonic creatures, but another for her son to have an issue for life. She knew him enough to know that he hides things from others, all for their own good. However this was big. She didn't want to lose him to either the people after him or to himself. So much stress was built up over such a small amount of time for her. Sans could see their lives falling apart, as she tried to collect up the pieces and put them together again.

She could only do this by herself for so long. She needed help, badly. Sans could see a couple tears trickle down her her cheeks. Even though she tried to hide them.

He held her hands and looked her dead in the eyes without saying a word. There was no need. He was gonna help her. He wanted to see her happy again. He didn't like to put effort into anything. But for her, he'll make an exception. Taking care of the kids was perfectly fine, but not when they were constantly being chased and threatened. It was out of her control, and that was hard to accept as a concerned parent. Realizing why her son sometimes throws himself into battle didn't make things easier. All she wanted was for them to be happy and safe. Right now, she couldn't guarantee either of those happening.

"i mean, it doesn't help that the king can't do much," Her partner said. "you know me, tori." Sans sighed. "i'm not the most faithful guy. but, we'll get through this. we always do." Back at the castle, Asgore was busy calling monsters he knew to report what had happened to Kaizer. He had Undyne on the phone, and told the Royal Guard the news. 

"Undyne...." Asgore sighed. "I'm sorry...." Kaizer had been a natural-born leader, and was exceptionally strong. How could this happen? Out of all people that could have possibly died. No one expected it'd be him. Undyne had a couple tears trickling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Undyne," Asgore said solemnly. "We all cared for him greatly, and he was a great warrior."

"I...I know...." Undyne said, wiping her eyes. 

"Thank you," The king muttered, wiping a tear. "We all feel the same way, I'm sure."

"It's not fair...." she said. "He worked just as hard as I did and he....hardly anyone knows him...."

"That's the way it is..." Asgore sighed. "The life of a Royal Espionage is dangerous. Full of people who used to make the wrong decisions, trying to do the right thing. They will never be celebrated nor remembered by the public. Which is why it's up to us to remember them and their sacrifice." Halustreg sat depressed by the king in the buttercup garden by the throne.

"I should get going." Halustreg sighed.

"Take care," Asgore said after him as he stood and went to leave. He waved goodbye to the King and started making his way home. A small village nearby Snowdin, but deeper in the woods. Now the king sighed, sitting in his castle all alone. He was disappointed that despite his efforts, he still couldn't help his ex and her family. 'We gotta catch those things soon, or it'll be worse from here, ' He was convinced. Morning came soon, Habriel got up to get himself a glass of water. He recalled that he and his family had temporarily moved to the skeleton house hold for their own safety. He slowly made his way to their kitchen. Wondering if they had anything other than ketchup to drink. He saw the unrealistically tall sink at one end of the kitchen, housing a bone collection underneath. He sighed and turned around, heading back to where he slept.

'I'll ask them when they wake up,' He thought tiredly as he trudged back to bed. Wrapping himself in the blanket, he closed his until his family started to get up. He heard them from other rooms, and squeezed his eyes shut, aggravated. He had had trouble falling back to sleep in the short time. Noticing that they were already up, he got up as well. Might as well if everyone else is awake. He sat up, getting a slight head rush, and swiveled his legs off the bedside to get ready. Lazily throwing his clothes on, he came where they all were. Rubbing his eyes.

"Hey, Habriel, " Frisk smiled at him.

"Morning." He said as he sat down with them. Everyone was already awake. Although it was not their house, Toriel offered to make everyone breakfast. Sans was more than happy that she was cooking instead of Papyrus. She made waffles and pancakes for them all to have. Habriel rested his head in the palms of his hands. He was still tired. The breakfast pastries smelled warm and sweet, and everyone dug in as soon as they were served. It woke everyone up, and brought smiles to their faces. There wasn't much syrup or butter, but that was alright, because the waffles and pancakes were still delicious. Everyone thanked Toriel as they heartily consumed their breakfast. She sat down after they all were served, smiling at her eating family.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Habriel asked.

"Wanna watch anime?" Marion asked.

"I wanna hang out with Papyrus," Frisk chirped, smiling. Papyrus almost jumped with excitement. His eye sockets sparkling. 

"YES! LET'S GO, FRISK!" He began to march towards the door before Toriel reminded him that imminent danger was out there. "OH, RIGHT... WELL, WE CAN STILL HANG OUT HERE!"

"We can still watch tv, together." Marion nudged Habriel. He smiled and nodded his head. Chara and Flowey nodded to each other in mutual agreement.  
"We're stuck with each other," Chara smirked, and Flowey rolled his eyes.

"I could think of worse possibilities." Flowey smiled at Chara. "What do you wanna do?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. We could do anything."  
Toriel and Sans knew they were left to each other as well. After breakfast, everyone got up, all leaving to do their own things. As everyone separated into their own pairs, Toriel and Sans stayed at the table.

"something on your mind?" He asked her.

She paused before saying "Everything's on my mind, Sans."

"well, i mean....you wanna talk about anything specific?" He asked.

"How about... what we should do from here on out?" She suggested.

"well, i guess we do everything we can to take care of them." Sans said. "those kids need us. but if you're talking about how to deal with those criminals....i don't know. we already tried waiting them out...."

She put her hand in his.  
"I just wonder if there's someone down here capable of driving them off for good."

Seraph floated by. 'Waiting it out isn't gonna work. We tried that already.' he thought. Habriel heard it as they shared their thoughts. 

'What else can we do?' Habriel looked at the specter.

Seraph gave a grim look. 'You and I both know that no one other than Kaizer was capable against them. Except for possibly one person. I doubt I have to tell you who...'

'I know,' He thought. 'But I know that they won't be happy that I do,' He said.

'Sometimes you have no choice.' Seraph thought. 'Making hard decisions is a part of life. We all have to do it. If you really want this to end, you know what to do.'

'Right,' He nodded with a determined look.

'Your outfit is back in the Ruins.' Seraph thought. 'You know what to do.' Habriel looked over at Marion who fell asleep while watching tv. "I'm sorry." He muttered while getting up. He made sure not to make a sound as he left. He left behind his stress-stricken mother, his many loving siblings, and two of the monsters he trusted the most.

As well as his lover. He returned to his home in the Ruins and found the outfit Alphys made for him. He quickly put it on and threw the hood over his head. Seraph nodded his head. They were going to work together again. It was truly fortunate that Seraph was more willing to cooperate in the recent events; Habriel didn't know if he would have survived with the extra burden.

"Let's finish this." Habriel sighed as he left the Ruins. Off to explore the Underground. Papyrus and Frisk were upstairs, the skeleton showing off his action figure collection to his friend. Flowey and Chara were playing a game of cards. Marion was asleep on the couch while Sans and Toriel were still in the kitchen.

'Where could they all be?' Habriel wondered. He decided to slowly walk through each place of the Underground while Seraph would be searching every crevice. All to not raise any possible suspicion. Plus, Seraph had a better chance of finding them without drawing attention, and could report back to Habriel where they were.

Making it to Hotland. Habriel had a blank expression as the entire Underground was under lockdown. No monster would dare come outside. It was just him and them. Walking through the caverns. Seraph appeared in front of Habriel and pointed to a cave into the distance. Habriel nodded his head and made his way slowly to it. A camera fixated on him observed him enter. 

Alphys watched him from in her lab, frightened. "He's d-doing this alone?" She whispered to herself.

Habriel slowly made his way through the cave. Discovering it opened up to yet another cavern, deeper Underground. The perfect place for anyone to hide. Seraph pointed out the illusions the jesters set up to get anyone lost. He made sure to guide Habriel down the right way.

'Did you get past this point?' Habriel thought to Seraph.

'Yes.' Seraph thought. 'They're here....'

'In what direction?' Habriel thought.

'You're heading right towards them.' Seraph thought. He crept silently toward them, mentally preparing himself. They were all gathered together on some beds. Sleeping the day away. They had no idea he was there. As he approached, he began to second-guess himself.

'Seraph....' Habriel thought. 'How can I deal with all three?'

'Kill the dog in his sleep.' Seraph suggested. Habriel nodded, forming a weapon silently and walked forward. He was right behind the dog. Wasting no time, he formed a violet dagger and quickly slit the dog's throat. Limbo opened his eyes and looked up at Habriel, choking.

"You expect a fair fight after what you did?" Habriel hissed quietly. "Think again."

The dog crumbled into a pile of dust before he could mouthe anything in response. 'Good work,' Seraph thought to Habriel, giving him a knowing nod. 'Now set the dolls on fire.' Seraph thought. Habriel nodded, approaching the dolls as quiet as he could to attack. Grabbing a couple sticks, he put them into the lava and threw them at the dolls. The molten ends struck the dolls on their backs, shooting sparks and catching on their cloth. The dolls leapt up, screeching. Habriel enjoyed this and so did Seraph. Both had smiles on their faces as the jesters screamed in pain.

As they were hopping around, a stab of guilt jabbed at Habriel. They certainly deserved this, but how could he enjoy it so much? How could he leave home, the place of his loving family, to go and revel in the pain of these? He widened his eyes in shock. He had just killed a monster and gained execution points. He already was LV 4. His increased LV had to have been the explanation. Now he knew why he enjoyed it for a second. He began to feel ashamed of himself, and Seraph could tell what he was feeling. 'Don't let your feelings get to you.' Seraph said. 'Finish the job.' In a sullen state, Habriel did as he was told. Finishing them off hit him like a kick in the gut. He threw the dolls into the lava and the two ghosts emerged. More than enraged. Habriel stood, ready to fight.

Back at the house in Snowdin, Toriel sat up in her chair and told Sans that she would go check on her children. The ghosts flung their scythes at Habriel over and over in a rage. Their roars almost demonic as Habriel blocked each attack with his sword.

Toriel entered the living room, seeing that Marion was sitting on the couch cushions alone.  
She gently nudged Marion awake.  
"My child, have you seen Habriel? He was last here with you, was he not?"

"Yeah, we were watching tv together..." Marion yawned and stretched her arms. She looked around and realized he was no longer by her side. She looked at her mother. Toriel went upstairs and opened the door to Papyrus's room. Frisk and Papyrus were still playing with their toys alone. She checked back downstairs in the kitchen. Flowey and Chara were still playing a game of cards. Toriel returned to Sans with wide eyes.  
"Habriel's not here."

"what do ya mean?" Sans asked while getting up. "he can't..." He went to the front door and saw the footprints leaving the house. Toriel stood in the doorway staring out, paralyzed with all her fears. "tori..." Sans turned to her and held her hands.

He knew she was going to break. Droplets dripped down her face, freezing her fur in streaks.  
"What... has he done?" She asked.

"i wish i knew..." Sans said as he hugged her. He felt her tears pit-pattering on the top of his skull dully.

"What has he done?" She repeated. "He's out there and what if he gets hurt!? What if.....oh God..." she dropped to her knees. 

"tori..." Sans kept hugging her. "we've gotta calm down and see if we can find him...."

"I shouldn't have left him alone," She cried. "Well, he wasn't alone," She backtracked, looking up at Marion. "But it wasn't your fault, my child."

"Oh God..." Marion teared up. She rushed to get dressed and threw on a pair of boots.

"W-wait," Toriel turned to see Marion getting ready. "Please, my child, let me go find him."

Marion sighed and nodded her head. "Alright..."

"I just," She brushed herself off and stood. "I don't want you endangering yourself too."

"Yeah...." Marion got back down and shook her head, frustrated she couldn't do anything. 

\---------------------

Habriel and the ghosts rushed back to Waterfall in their battle. Clashing back and forth constantly trying to out maneuver the other.

"Stay here," Toriel requested, and she nodded towards Sans. 

The jesters were pushing the boy to his limit. 'Seraph...you need to take over...' Habriel thought.

'You're letting me?' Seraph thought. Habriel nodded his head. Toriel and Sans hurried through the underground with Alphys on the phone, knowing she had her cameras online at all times.

A violet light emitted from Habriel as his hair grew long, the bottom half turning black. "Why don't I let you take over?" Seraph asked.

"You can do that?" Habriel asked. The specter nodded his head.

"You have more experience with them, it makes sense." Habriel blinked and looked down. It was as if Seraph possessed him but he still had complete control of himself.

'Well that's cool and convenient,' Habriel thought, staring at himself.

"It's like I'm in another world...." Habriel muttered to himself. "It's....incredible...." He felt like he had a renewed energy and was ready to continue the battle. More than that. He felt more powerful than ever. It was as if he had so much power, he didn't know what to do with it.

"Last that I saw was Habriel entered a cave," Alphys reported hastily to the mother. Habriel glared at the ghosts who were less than amused. He thought of something. He focused his energy to making another portal, he was gonna throw them inside wherever he wanted. Seraph gave him the coordinates to the demon realm.

The goat mother and her partner rushed towards the cave the scientist indicated. They rushed in and watched as Habriel tossed himself along with the ghosts into the portal, closing it. They screamed for him to stop, but didn't make it. The portal closed before they could do anything. Everything fell silent. Toriel did the same thing as if they had just found out he wasn't home.  
"HABRIEL," She screamed, her voice becoming hoarse. "HABRIEL!" Sans held her hands. Doing everything he can to help her. He knew this was it for her. She was crying her hardest. She cried until she lost her voice and it hurt to make a sound at all. Her knees hurt from the pressure as she knelt there, crying her heart out. Sans was ready to cry as well. Seeing her so broken hurt him badly. Just when things looked bad, another portal opened. 

Habriel leaped through and quickly shut it before the ghosts could follow him. Trapping them wherever he took them. "It worked, Seraph!" Habriel smiled. His face fell as soon as he saw them. "What?" Habriel gasped as he saw his mother and her boyfriend together. Nearly broken from what they saw. She barely realized he was right there in front of her. Her eyes were too blurry. His hair grew short and white again as he carefully approached her. "Mom?" He muttered, having no idea how'd she react.

She finally looked up, her tear stained face.  
"Habriel?" Her voice was barely there, raspy, hoarse; he had never heard her sound like this before.

"Yeah..." Habriel said as he knelt down. "It's me..." He didn't touch her, trying to be careful. She struggled to get up, and Sans helped her up onto her wobbly knees. Habriel reached forward and helped her get up as well.

She hugged him tight. "I thought you were dead," She cried.

Habriel started to cry, too. He hugged back, tightly. "I'm sorry!" he cried.

"Why did you go?" She asked. "we were so scared."

"I went to find Sommers and the other two guys." Habriel said. "They won't he hurting anyone, anymore. All that's left is Azo."

She hugged him again.  
"I'm so glad you're safe," She whimpered. "I thought I failed you."

"I'm so sorry!" Habriel whimpered as he hugged her. He felt like the scum of the earth for putting her through this.

"It's- it's alright, just please tell us next time you plan to do something like that," She sniffled.

"Alright..." Habriel wiped his tears. "Though, you probably wouldn't have let me." He laughed sadly.

"Well, fair enough," She muttered. 

"It's done..." Habriel muttered. "All that we have left to worry about here is my 'little brother'...."

"You took care of most of the problem roday, why not leave that for another day?" She insisted.

He nodded his head. "Alright." She held his hand on the way back.

"kid, we're really glad you're okay," Sans said, walking beside them. 

"Yeah..." Habriel smiled. On their way back, they heard light foot steps. They belonged to a little boy who had a smile to his face.

"Nice to see you guys again." The boy said with his black eyes. "Oops....that's probably a soft spot for you, isn't it 'mom'?"

Toriel stared at Azo hatefully. "Go away," She grunted. 

"You know mom, you out on way too much makeup on today." Azo chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not like your boyfriend would notice." They all stared at him, trying not to explode. "You know, I'm having a hard time trying to remember this one word...." Azo snapped his fingers. "You would know what it is, Habriel. It sums up your sex life." Horrified, Toriel slapped him across the face. Azo laughed and looked Toriel dead in the eyes with the most sinister smile. "He did that to Habriel, too."

"Go away," Toriel repeated. "Get away from us."

"But moooom!" Azo mocked. "I wanna play with Habriel!" He made a deathly smile.

She had her arms around Habriel and Sans, as if to lead them. "Let's go," She urged.

Azo's face contorted as he stood in front of them. "You're not leaving this place!" he shouted. They all stood, and Toriel wouldn't let go of her loved ones, standing there. He rushed over and kicked Toriel in the knee, knocking her off balance. He went after Habriel, drawing a knife.

Habriel backed up and materialized a sword to block the attacks. Sans sprouted bones out of the ground around Azo to hold him in place. He ripped the bones out of the ground with his bare hands and charged at Habriel. Toriel's 'child' continued to attack while Habriel continuously slashed him with his sword. Toriel shot fire from the palm of her hand, which caught on Azo's long hair. Azo screamed and snarled at Toriel. His eyes glowing. Finally, about to use his own magic. He opened his palm and fire shot out at Toriel. She ducked, the fire just singing the tips of the fur on her head. He ran over and grabbed her by the throat. He had a tight grip. Struggling, she brought up her leg, kicking him in the chest with her large feet, winding him. It did nothing but enrage him as he tried to get up. Habriel didn't give him the chance and stabbed him through the throat with his sword. Leaving him stuck in the ground. Toriel stumbled backwards, holding her throat in pain. Habriel kept him stuck and used magic to heal Toriel. She thanked him, watching what he was doing to Azo. Sans stood by her with his eye glowing furiously. Habriel reached down and broke the boy's limbs and stuck swords into them keeping him stuck to the ground. "Seraph!" Habriel said. "We got one more guy to drop off!"

'Yup,' Seraph thought, ready to help. Seraph gave him the coordinates again. Habriel opened the portal and grabbed Azo.

"Hey, guess what?" Habriel smiled.

Azo glared at him. "What?"

Habriel grabbed him by the throat with a tight grip. "We're gonna play hide and seek." He said. He threw the boy through the portal and quickly destroyed the rune under it, closing the portal. "Now stay there until I come to find you..."

"well uh, i guess that took care of 'im," Sans shrugged, calming down.

"Yeah...." Habriel muttered. "Guess the Underground doesn't have to be on lockdown anymore."

"I can tell Asgore," Habriel's mother stated. "I think we're all happy that it's finished."

"Yeah..." Habriel dropped to his knees, tired. She sat on the ground next to him, holding the phone to her ear, waiting for the king to pick up. Sans joined them on the ground.

"Howdy!" Asgore said. "This is Asgore! Who am I speaking to?"

"It's Toriel," She answered promptly. "I called to tell you about the jesters and Azo."

"What happened?" He asked. "Are they gone?"

"Habriel went and fought them, and now they are gone for good," She said, quietly rejoicing in her head. It truly was a victory. 

"Oh!" Asgore smiled. "That's wonderful! Thank you for informing me!"

"You're welcome, " She stated. "Are you going to end the state of emergency?"

"Yes, I'm calling it off right now." Asgore said. The speakers went off informing the Underground that the state of emergency was over. They said their goodbyes and hung up. It was done. She got up, helping Habriel and Sans to their feet. Habriel thanked her as he leaned on her. He was tired. They trekked back towards home in peaceful silence.

"We're back!" Toriel called to her family. Marion saw Habriel come inside and nearly tackled him with her hug. "Don't ever do that again!" She cried. He wrapped his arms around her.

"No promises." He chuckled.

She groaned at that. "So what happened?" Frisk asked, coming down the stairs before Papyrus. Chara and Flowey came over too.

"Well, it's a long story...." Habriel said. "Do you wanna tell them or do you want me to?" Habriel asked his mother.

"You may, my child," She said. 

"Alright, Seraph convinced me that I could put a stop to them, myself." Habriel said. "So I went out after them. He and I worked together to finally stop them. His family was gathered around, some sitting, some standing, all listening intently.

"I went to the Ruins, changed into the outfit Alphys made me and went after them." Habriel said. "Seraph and I found them in Hotland."

"When did you leave, though?" Marion asked, still slightly upset that he did so.

"About an hour into the movie." Habriel said. "You were asleep and I didn't want to disturb you or put you in danger."

Marion sighed, hugging him again. "You scared us bad."

"I know and I'm sorry..." Habriel said while hugging her back. "But it's over, and the danger's gone."

"Habriel, you're amazing," Frisk said in awe. Papyrus agreed eagerly. "YES, HABRIEL THAT WAS VALIANT!"

"Not really...." Habriel said. "I killed the hacker in his sleep, then set the dolls on fire and for a moment, I.....I.....enjoyed it...." Habriel clutched his arms. "The pleasure, it was out of nowhere and so....alien yet, not."

"You probably felt all your anger culminate at that moment," Chara shrugged. "I mean, having these creeps chase us around was torturous."

"It wasn't anger, it was....joy...." Habriel said. "I was happy..."

Frisk initiated a battle with him. "Well, that explains it," They pointed. "Your LV increased. It's just a small hiccup, it's not you."

"But it is me..." Habriel said. "It's my LV....and I will have it forever...."

"Bit you did it to protect us, " They said. "I had LV in other timelines, but that didn't mean I wasn't trying to do the right thing."

"Alright...." Habriel sighed. "I just hope I can control it....I don't want to have those feelings again."

"It shouldn't affect you anymore unless there's some way to accidentally trigger it."

"Alright..." Habriel said, sitting down. He rubbed his eyes. "I'm really tired..."

"Rest, my child, you obviously had a rough day," Toriel looked back on the moment they saw him disappear into a portal. Marion had brought him over to the couch where she wrapped him and herself up in a blanket. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, they closed their eyes.

Toriel and Sans whispered to each other.  
"Now that we're not in danger, we can return to our house," She whispered.

"wanna stay a little while longer?" He asked. 

"If it's alright with you and the kids," She smiled.

"well, at least let them sleep." Sans pointed at Habriel and Marion.

"Oh, yeah," She chuckled. 

He laughed and shook his head. "they deserve it." He chuckled.

"Certainly," She smiled. "He is brave and caused a lot of worry."

He looked back to when she completely broke. Crying out Habriel's name with tears leaking from her. "yeah...."

She kissed him. "Thank you for being so tolerant and supportive."

"no problem, tori." He smiled as he kissed her back.


	43. Chapter 43

Frisk stayed with their tall skeleton friend. Toriel and Sans sat by Habriel and Marion. Watching over them. Chara and Flowey played more cards together, glad everything turned out fine. It was a short while before Habriel and Marion woke up again. Frisk and Papyrus spent their time role playing as great, respected warriors who protected the monsters of New Home. The movie still played. Toriel and Sand decided to watch it together. Chara and Flowey began to get bored with card games and joined them in watching the film. Toriel decided she would wake Habriel and Marion when the movie was over. There was still a good amount of time in the film for them to sleep. She watched as Marion nuzzled against a smiling Habriel. They were still wrapped up in the blanket. She heard a little click and turned her head. A smiling Frisk had taken a picture of them. "Too precious," They giggled quietly to their mother, revealing the picture. Both Habriel and Marion were smiling in the picture as they leaned on each other while they were resting. They showed the picture to their mother, Sans, and Papyrus. Sans lightly chuckled while Toriel and Papyrus thought it was the cutest thing they had ever seen. 

"Would you mind sending it to me, my child?" Toriel asked.

"Sure," They nodded eagerly and sent to photo to each of their phones to keep. "Sent it," They giggled. Toriel giggled as she looked at it. Still thinking it was the cutest thing ever. She decided she was gonna try to find a way to print it and hang it on the fridge. She would contact Alphys or someone with that expertise for help later. Pretty soon, Habriel and Marion started to wake up on their own. The movie was almost over and their family noticed the two begin to move. Habriel rubbed his eyes and Marion stretched her arms. Both yawning.

"Good morning, star shine," Frisk giggled guiltily. 

Habriel raised an eyebrow at them, so did Marion. "Huh?" Habriel said. They giggled more, hiding their phone from their siblings.

"What are you up to?" Marion asked them.

"Nnnnnothing," They grinned devilishly, their hands with the phone behind their back.

"Frisk took a picture of you two sleeping." Seraph appeared from behind the two lovers.

"Oh okay." Habriel said.

"SSSSSERAPH," They hissed jokingly, busted.

Seraph raised an eyebrow and floated away. Habriel and Marion looked at Frisk. "Well, can we see it?" Marion asked.

"Fine," Frisk grinned and revealed the 'incriminating' photo.

"We don't look half bad." Habriel smiled to Marion. Marion pat Frisk's head, chuckling.

"Oh no! So embarrassing!" Marion pretended to gasp. "I sure hope you didn't share it with anyone, it would end~ me!"

Frisk held their face, laughing. "I am afraid they already have, my child." Toriel showed the picture on her phone. 

Marion gripped her chest. "Oh no~!" she pretended to faint. Frisk giggled more from the dramatic display. Habriel did the same thing from the couch. Pretending to grunt in pain. 

"Nooo, Habriel, Marion," They pretended to be distraught by this.

"It's too late!" Habriel said dramatically. "The damage is done!" He stuck a tongue out, pretending to be dead. 

They knelt on the ground, fake-yelling, "Noooo!"

"Look at what you've done!" Marion pretended to yell. "Look at what you've done to Habbie!"

"Nuuu! Habbie!" Frisk exclaimed.

"Alright." Habriel laughed as he got up. "You took a very cute picture, though.” They smiled, looking back at the cute photograph.

"It is a real keeper." Toriel giggled. "Well done, my child."

"so uh, you guys can stay here if you want," Sans offered to the family. "you don't have to if you don't wanna..." He said. 

"Won't we be over-staying our welcome?" Chara pointed out to her family.

"I appreciate what you have done for us, Sans." Toriel said. "But I really don't want us go burden you."

"you never did." He smiled.

She smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Thank you."

"you guys wanna do something?" He asked. "maybe head out for dinner together?"

"Yeah," Frisk nodded.   
"Sounds good to me," Chara agreed with her sibling. 

"I would love to." Toriel smiled at her lover. Marion and Habriel smiled and nodded their heads.

"WHERE DO YOU ALL WANT TO GO?" Papyrus asked.

"wanna go to grillby's?" Sans asked.

"SANS, THAT PLACE ISN'T APPROPRIATE FOR A YOUNG HUMAN LIKE FRISK," Papyrus stomped his foot.

"already took frisk there before." Sans laughed.

"WHAT?" The tall skeleton had his hands on his head in shock. "SANS, THAT'S A BAR! FRISK IS TOO YOUNG TO GO THERE!" He exclaimed, disappointed in his brother.

"eh, all they had was a burg." Sans shrugged.

"OH," Papyrus stopped. "BUT BE CAREFUL, BROTHER. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU'LL FIND AT A PLACE LIKE THAT."

"you know i'm friends with everyone who goes there, right?" Sans asked.

"...RIGHT." They all agreed that Grillby's would be perfectly fine.

"Not to mention, there isn't really anything mature that we haven't been exposed to, already...." Habriel said. 

Sans smirked. "with frisk, i doubt that," He shrugged.

"Frisk isn't as naive as they play it." Habriel said. "They're quite mature for someone their age."

Marion snorted in the background. "Yeah, they know about the 'hawks and the hornets.'"

"That and plenty of other things..." Habriel said. "Not to sour the mood. But, they learned right and wrong on their own."

"true," Sans nodded.

"It's a while before dinner." Habriel said. "Wanna watch another movie?"

"uhh, let's see what i got," The short skeleton searched a pile of disc cases to find something they might all enjoy. He pulled out old human movies that are years old. Some were classics. Others were anime and some of Mettaton's shows. "pick which ones you guys wanna watch," Sans said, laying them out for all to see.

"I can go with any of these." Habriel said.

"This anime looks cool." Marion said, picking up a copy of Inuyasha. 

"I kinda wanna watch a movie." Chara shrugged.

Sans held up a disc. "there are inuyasha movies," He grinned.

"Alright!" Both Marion and Chara nodded. He took out the other movie disc and put it back in its case, then got the other disc into the machine. Marion sat with Habriel again, wrapped up in that blanket again. Flowey and Chara sat next to them, while Frisk nuzzled between the teenage couple. It felt comfy and safe there, sitting between their family. Sans and Toriel came in. Sitting at the end of the couch next to each other. Papyrus sat on the other end of the couch. Thus time, Flowey went to sleep during this movie. Chara and Marion were too invested to get tired. Between their siblings in the warm blanket, Frisk began fading fast, even if they wanted to watch the movie. However, Habriel and Marion were wide awake. They got plenty of sleep before and were just fine.Marion felt Frisk start to rest their head slowly, indicating that they were falling asleep. Marion let them rest their head on her while Habriel gave them more of their blanket. And he put a pillow on Marion. Making them both giggle quietly. Chara turned around upon hearing the quiet laughter and saw what they did, grinning. This time, Chara took a picture. With Habriel and Marion smiling right at the camera.

"Revenge?" She whispered to the pair on the sofa.

"Sure." Habriel said. "Send it to mom. Have her hang that on the fridge, too."

"Certainly." Toriel's phone buzzed in her hand, and she looked at the picture and chuckled.

"now that one's a keeper!" Sans chuckled as he looked at it.

"Send it to Mettaton," Chara snickered evilly.

"Anyone have his phone number?" Habriel asked.

"We can call Alphys for it," Marion whispered to him.

"Or just have her post it on the Undernet." Habriel whispered. 

 

And Toriel did exactly that- she posted the picture online hoping the star of the underground would see it. "I think its cute." Habriel said. Toriel sat with them, waiting for responses to the picture online. She got a few likes from some of her friends online. Mostly Alphys, Undyne and Asgore. She sat wondering if celebrities used social media. A couple more likes popped up. This time from Napstablook and Mettaton. She grinned and showed the others. Even better was that the people who liked the photo started reblogging it. Including Mettaton. Not long afterwards, she started receiving a lot more likes.

"Oh my goodness," She murmured. 

"Let's hope this doesn't start a prank war...." Habriel snickered. 

"Hey, that would be pretty interesting," Chara turned to Habriel. "Don't let me give Frisk ideas."

"Yeah, though it does sound like fun." Habriel said. "It might escalate and get out of hand."

"Yeah," Chara trailed off.

"Uh oh...." Habriel muttered to Marion. "I think I gave her an idea....."

She laughed.   
"It would probably get out of hand," Chara shrugged.

"Yeah, mom would have to end it." Habriel laughed. All the while, Frisk was out cold, not having any idea what they were talking about or that they took a picture of them. "So how do you like it so far?" Habriel asked Chara and Marion. "The movie, I mean."

"It's really well animated," Chara commented, eyes back on the screen.

"And what about you?" Habriel asked Marion.

"I like it," She replied. "Although the story's a bit complicated." Sans and Toriel were too busy exchanging puns instead of watching the movie. Chara pointed at them while looking at Habriel, rolling her eyes as if to say 'look at these two goofballs.' Habriel shook his head while smiling at them. They were dorks, but at the same time the two coolest people he's ever met. Toriel and Sans didn't notice the children looking at them. Habriel, Marion and Chara giggled and went back to watching the movie. Frisk moved a bit, restless. They must have heard Marion laughing. Marion took a deep breathe to calm herself down. She didn't want to disturb Frisk. Frisk mumbled and pressed their face into the side of Marion's arm. It was nigh impossible to laugh at this point. Marion's face turned red as she tried to contain her laughter. Somehow, she managed to keep quiet. Habriel watched Frisk lay on Marion's arm, fast asleep. Habriel couldn't help but snicker in response. Their hair draped over the half of their face turned out to the air, and the cheek against Marion's arm squished out. Chara was ready to take another picture, it was so funny to her. Frisk's nose began to whistle. Flowey started to weave his head back and forth in his sleep. Sans noticed both of them and laughed quietly, pointing at them for Toriel to realize. She began to snicker as well and decided to take a couple more pictures. Chara was watching her siblings now, watching the flower on one side, and the small but very much asleep human on the other. Her phone went off, this time Toriel was sending her pictures. She was having trouble keeping her snickering at a minimum. Flowey woke up and glared at her.  
"What?"

"Nothing!" She hid her face.

"Chara, what were you looking at?" He asked in a low voice.

"Nothing at all!" Chara smirked.

"Charaaa, tell me," He whined.

"I took pictures of you two sleeping." she said. He pouted. Giggling even more, Chara took one more picture of the flower. His face was right up at the camera in that picture, his pout in high detail. She snickered as she sent it to Toriel and Sans.

"pretty attractive face, flowey," Sans commented. "you're really bloomin'!" Flowey groaned and shook his head.

"I cannot beleaf my eyes!" Toriel snickered. Flowey groaned that his mom was joining in on the puns. Everyone continued to giggle while Flowey shook his head in disappointment. Frisk shifted, in between awake and asleep. Habriel decided to quiet down and let them sleep. They almost completely sat up, but seemed out of it, sitting slack. Their mumbling soon became less incoherent; they were sleep-talking. Toriel squealed, thinking it was very cute.

Frisk acted as if they were trying to talk to Habriel and Marion, but neither was sure.  
"T-dayyyyy my guest starrrrs..." They put their hands on their siblings. "Are.... riel and Mari."

"Hear that?" Habriel asked his girlfriend. "We're stars on their show." Marion giggled, listening and watching them intently as they slept.

"And.....today.....king....a cake..." Frisk muttered as their head swayed back and forth. Their siblings were having trouble not laughing out loud.

"What kind of cake?" Habriel asked while wiping his tears.

"....colate..." Frisk muttered.

Marion was practically in tears like her lover.  
"Was it tasty?" She asked Frisk, wheezing.  
"...yeah," They muttered. Habriel slapped his knee and hid his face in the palms of his hand. Sans wheezed in the background, holding his chest. He couldn't say anything witty, he was too far gone.

Frisk shook their head and opened their eyes. "Wh-what?"  
They awoke to all of their family laughing so hard they were crying, some of them wheezing.  
"What's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing!" Habriel waved an arm while still laughing.

They pouted and folded their arms.  
"I know when something's up, guys. C'mon."

"It's really nothing." Flowey shook his head. "Kinda stupid, really." They sat there like that, making the same, annoyed face, hoping they would convince somebody there to answer their question.

"You were talking in your sleep." Marion said, finally calming down.

They paled. "What was I saying?" They asked hesitantly.

"Apparently, we were on a tv show and baking a cake." Habriel said. Their face morphed from pallid to a rosy red in no time.

"It's all good, Frisk." Marion said. "We appreciate you wanting to put us on your show." They groaned and covered their face, embarrassed like never before. They didn't think they ever sleep-talked in the past, so why now?

"Don't worry about it." Habriel said. "With what's been going on, how can you not?" They shrugged, trying to brush all of it off.

"Besides.....we could all use some laughs after what's happened...." Habriel looked down at the ground.

"Yeah," They nodded sadly.

"That's right, Costantia....." Habriel remembered about his saviour's daughter. "I......I don't think anyone has told her yet...."

"Are you sure?" Flowey asked. "How could that be? That's kind of important..."

"Well, the state of emergency was only recently called off." Habriel said. "I could be wrong. But....I should do something for her. After all, her father saved my life...."

"That's a good idea," Frisk sighed and yawned, fixing their hair.

"I'll go get some flowers..." Habriel said. "Bring them to her..."

"Maybe we can write her something," Frisk suggested.

"Yeah, like a card." Habriel said. "I'll put it on the flowers. We'll need Papyrus to come with us to comfort her." They all thought about how Costantia would feel. She would be devastated. She would need everyone's support through this. She had only recently reconnected with him and loved him dearly. Toriel worried as a mother figure. Sans was worried as well. This was definitely hard hitting as he was a skeleton as well. There were not many of his kind left.

"It's a shame," Chara said solemnly.

"I wish I could have done something for him...." Habriel said 

Frisk's stomach grumbled.  
"Want to go to dinner early?" Toriel asked Sans and the kids. Everyone was already hungry from the lively day. No one would disagree. They all decided to get up and get ready. Sans turned off the movie and put the disc back in its case while they all got ready to go. This time, everyone wore their casual clothing. Habriel with his jeans, shirt and jacket Marion with a similar style. They would go to dinner, then search for Constantia to tell her what happened. Toriel wore her usual keeper robes. Sans in his blue hoodie and black shorts. They smiled at each other. Frisk stood up beside Chara, who held Flowey.

Papyrus was in his usual royal sentry armor. He proudly waved his scarf in the air with a proud "NYEH!" They were all ready. Chara idly brought along a small watering can to feed Flowey. Making it in. Every monster inside all smiled at them and continued about their conversations. Grillby didn't react to them.

"I'll pay," Toriel said quickly, taking out a change purse before Sans said anything. She made her way over to Grillby. The monster looked up at her.

"You don't have to pay up front....." he said. 

"Oh, I know, but I just feel like doing it now, if that's alright with you," She smiled.

"Well, do you know what everyone wants?" He asked.

"A burger," Chara and Frisk called at the same time from a booth. He wrote them down and asked for everyone else's order. They all ordered and sat in the booth and a table close to it. He wrote what everyone ordered and disappeared into the kitchen to get to work.

"Ugh," Frisk shuffled in place on the bench cushion. "I can't imagine what it would be like to get news like Constantia will."

"I do...." Habriel said. "I remember Aliyah....the night she gave me this....." he pulled out his necklace. "Realizing that you will never talk to that person again....it's.....indescribable." They wore a sullen expression, resting their head in their arms on the table.

"I'm sorry...." Habriel said. "I didn't mean to bring down the mood."

"No, it's fine, " They shook their head and sat up again. 

"Yeah...." Habriel shook his head. "I'll know exactly how she'll feel...."

"Me too...." Toriel muttered.

Frisk shrugged, trying not to think too much about it. "I don't know who my family was, so I don't know what that feels lile, but I can imagine."

"Yeah...let's try not to think about it..." Habriel said. Grillby nudged the counter door open and carried over platters with their meals. He set it down and carefully handed everyone their food. The group thanked him and he went back towards the counter with the round tray under his arm. Everyone smiled as they ate their food. They started gossiping in an attempt to get their minds clear if only for a moment.

"Oh, wasn't Mettaton going to help you get your own show?" Chara turned to Frisk.

"What kind of show do you wanna do?" Habriel asked.

They shrugged. "I dunno. I kinda wanna do something with acting."

"Drama? Action? Mystery?" Marion asked.

"Drama, romance, bloodshed?" Chara snickered.

"They all sound really good...." Frisk sighed.

"Maybe Mettaton can hold acting classes for you," Their sister said.

"You're really gonna be famous." Habriel said. "An ambassador and an actor."

They grinned. "The adults are gonna think I'm just some kid with a wild imagination."

"Our star and our savior." Marion smiled.

They blushed. "No way, people are gonna think, 'why isn't this kid in school or doing homework?'" They laughed.

"You could say you're home-schooled." Habriel said. "Mom wants to be a teacher and has our curriculum's set up." He scratched the back of his head. "So far, we've never had the opportunity to get started though...."

"Yeah," They remembered. "Maybe sometime, she will."

"Maybe now that we're no longer in so much danger, we can get started soon...." Habriel said.

"I hope to do that," Toriel said, hearing them.

"Out of curiosity, what will Marion and I learn?" Habriel asked.

"Well, you two would be in higher grades than Frisk and Chara," Toriel said.  
"So, some subjects like math would be something like algebra or geometry."

"This should be interesting..." Habriel said. "I don't even remember the last time I did a math problem."

"My child, I won't dump it all on you immediately," She smiled sympathetically. "I'll work you two up to that point, making sure you understand everything beforehand."

"Yeah..." Habriel smiled. "Thanks."  
Toriel smiled back.  
"You two would also unfortunately have an English class that would entail essay writing," She said regrettably.

"I read a lot..." Habriel said. "I wonder how I'd do writing things..." He put his hand under his chin.

"For Frisk, English will be more writing skills whether narrative or not, " Toriel said, and Frisk got excited.

"And what about us?" Chara asked for herself and Flowey.

Their mother thought for a moment. "You two are higher than Frisk, but lower than Marion and Habriel," She said. 

"I think we were already in the advanced course a while back..." Chara pondered. "I could be wrong, though..."

"We'll figure it out," Toriel said absentmindedly. Grillby soon came over with the bill. Placing it in the middle of the table. Toriel paid it promptly, thanking him. He was happy that Toriel didn't hesitate. He looked at someone else at the table who could learn from her. A certain someone who needs to pay his tab. Sans grinned widely and shrugged at Grillby guiltily.

Everyone thanked Toriel and Habriel got up. "I'm heading to Bun's. I wanna see if she has flowers or a card...."

"Should we all write in the card?" Frisk inquired sadly.

"We can do that." Habriel said. "Unless if you all want your own individual ones....."

"Perhaps one from all of us would suffice," Toriel suggested quickly.

"Yeah, whichever one is easier on you guys." Habriel said. As soon as they were all finished with their meals, they left to buy a card and some flowers as a kind gesture to Kaizer's daughter. 

"Hello!" Bun chirped with a smile as they entered the store. "How can I help you?" Toriel searched shelves lined with products and turned on cue to ask if there was a section of the store for cards. Frisk and Chara searched other parts of the store together.

"Of course!" Bun said. "What kind of cards were you looking for?"

"Sympathy cards." Habriel said. "The same goes for a bouquet of flowers."

"Oh," Bun changed her expression. "Yes, I believe I have those... what occassion?" She asked hesitantly. "Actually, you don't have to say, it's none of my business. Here, they're this way," She lead them. Habriel thanked her as she led them to the white flowers and sympathy cards. In the section of flowers, rows of shelves housed bouquets of palid roses and lilies, as well as other random bouquets for other occassions. 

Habriel pointed at the lilies. "May I have those, please?" He asked.

"Sure," the bunny monster nodded and brought him the freshest bouquet of them. Frisk and Chara browsed the aisles of cards to see which one seemed appropriate. There was one golden card with a picture of a white flower. One the inside was an apologetic poem detailing the condolences of the reader's loss.

Frisk took it out of the shelf and looked at the outside, then read the poem inside. They closed it again. "Chara, you think this is good?"

"I like it..." Chara smiled sadly. "I think that one's good..." They brought it to their mother and the rest of their family to show it and get their opinions.

Chara held it out in front of them. "What do you think?"

"I like it...." Habriel smiled sadly. Marion nodded her head in agreement. 

"Sure," Toriel answered, melancholy, and took it to pay with the flowers at the front counter.

"Thank you for your purchase." Bun said. "And I hope that it helps whomever receives this..." They all thanked her and departed towards their next sorrowful destination. No one spoke on the way there. There was no point, they already knew who was thinking what. They trudged in the snow solemnly, not having anything to say at all. The silence said more than words could at the moment. They wasted no time making it through Snowdin and Waterfall. 

Soon enough there it was. Her house sitting peacefully in the caves. They had Papyrus there to help as well, knowing that the two were extremely close. Habriel carried the card, signed by all of them, and the flowers. Right outside, Habriel shook his head and sighed. Marion knocked on the door. Soon, the skeleton opened the door, unsuspecting. "Hello?" She said. Her eye sockets widened at the large party outside. "How can I help you all?" None of them wanted to break the news. Papyrus stepped up to the responsibility; he felt he owed it to her. "Papyrus?" She looked concerned. "What's going on? What's wrong?" her voice seemed nervous from the dead silence. 

With a saddened face, he addressed her.   
"COSTANTIA... SOMETIMES BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE, AND... THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES," he said in a wavering tone.

"What do you mean? What bad thing? To who?" She hardly gave him time to answer, she seemed so scared. 

"He.....saved my life...." Habriel broke the silence. His eyes glistening from his tears. He took a step forward with the white flowers. "Your father saved my life...."

It was as if Costantia's world had just shattered. She trembled as she dropped to her knees in pervading silence. Soon enough, her eye sockets began to leak and she hid her face in the palms of her hands. All that could be heard was a loud whimpering. 

"COSTANTIA, I-I'M SORRY," Papyrus wanted to hug her until she cried herself out.  
It was like finding a cut on your arm hours after you grazed it; it was unexpected, left a mark, stung, and would only go away with time.

She pulled him into a hug. He could feel her tears drip down his armor. Habriel put a hand on her shoulder, crying as well. "I'm so sorry..." Habriel said. Frisk cried by their mother, behind Habriel and Papyrus. 

After a long while of tearful hugs and whimpering. Costantia finally broke the silence. "How did it happen?" she looked up at Habriel, her make up smeared all over her skull from her tears. 

"We were ambushed in the castle," Habriel sniffed. "It was Sommers. He tried to attack me, but your dad blocked it."

"He would do that...." she wiped her tears. However her vision got blurry again and she went right back to crying. They hugged her again, hoping to help her as much as they could in her time of need. Habriel handed her the flowers while Frisk gave her the card. Reading the poem to herself, she choked as she continued to cry.

'Maybe the card was a bad idea,' Frisk thought sullenly.

She closed the card and hugged it tightly. "Thank you." She choked. They sighed, relieved that the card wasn't making her feel worse. Papyrus kept hugging her as she wept. She was glad to have so many people supporting her, but she just wanted her father back. Unfortunately, this was a deep wound nobody else could let heal but her, and she would realize that eventually.

"Thank you all..." she finally muttered. Papyrus looked up at them. 

"I THINK I WILL STAY WITH HER FOR THE NIGHT..." He said.

"alright, pap," His brother replied sadly, thinking it the best.

"We'll leave you alone...." Habriel said. He left the house.

"Call us if you need anything," Toriel said to the sad skeleton.  
Costantia nodded. The family made their solemn way back to the Ruins in silence. There was nothing to be said. Nothing that wasn't already known.


	44. Chapter 44

As soon as they got inside, everyone slumped in chairs in various spots, feeling depressed and tired. Marion and Habriel sat on the couch together, cuddling. They didn't feel like doing much else. Frisk had dragged themself up the stairs and into their room, laying face-down on their bed. Chara and Flowey stayed in the kitchen and tried thinking of something to pass the time. Frisk passed between sleeping and wanting to do something interesting, but their mood wasn't right for much. Toriel sat on her sofa. Trying to think of something to help make the children feel better. Frisk fell asleep on top of a blank sheet of paper they planned on using. Chara and Flowey slumped over the table and closed their eyes. Slowly drifting away. Toriel had already fallen asleep. The house was nearly dead silent aside from the cackling fireplace. Sans sat with the goat woman, still awake. He wondered if she was having any dreams. Following eveyone's lead, he closed his eyes and quickly snoozed off. 

Papyrus sat consoling Costantia in her house, hoping that sometime, things would get easier and problems would be less. She stopped crying after a while. Feeling rather tired. She decided to go to bed. Asking Papyrus to come with her. "ALRIGHT," He agreed. They turned on the tv in bed and cuddled until they fell asleep.

 

Frisk dream they were on a vast, flat white field under a sky of ink. Nothing else was visible for miles until the horizon. They reached down into their pocket and pulled out a large paint brush. The paintbrush, though it fit in their pocket, unravelled to be their height. Before they could touch it to the ground, the thing jumped from their hands, the brush tip sweeping across the blank ground out of their reach. It started painting something on it's own. Frisk stared at it, dumbfounded. They walked after it, watching it move swiftly across. When they stepped in a line of paint, their whole body sunk into it, as if the brush stroke was as deep as a pool. They couched and panicked as they struggled to get out. The paint turned to a thick, sticking sludge that slowed their struggle as they pulled to get their left leg out of it. They clung to the white part of the surface and pulled themselves out, hyperventilating. Their chest hurt, and their breath was ragged as they got to their feet to see the brush dancing off in the distance. Now, the once white ground was covered in cross-hatches of the deep paint.

Frisk wanted to know what was being drawn and wanted to figure out how they could find out. It was at this moment when they realized this was and dream. Rendering it lucid, they could figure out what was being drawn if they wanted to. They tried their hardest to fly; they heard many times that in a lucid dream, one could do anything imaginable. Soon enough, they lifted off the ground and floated up to look at the paint froM a bird's-eye view.

At first, they could only see a blur. They rubbed their eyes, making the image clear as day for them. When their eyes cleared, they realized it was words; some sort of message. Above that was a drawing. Depicting Habriel being nailed to a cross. They stared dumbly, not knowing how to react to it. It was the strangest thing their brain ever came up with in a dream. They tried to discern the meaning of the message. Rubbing their eyes, they read the message. 'You can't save him.' They suddenly got angry, not knowing why. They wanted to scream and snap the brush into splinters.

They did exactly that in the dream, glaring at the brush, it split into a million pieces. The rage surged and burned in their small body. It wasn't like them to get this way, but the words seemed to mock them. "I can try..." they growled. They floated down to the ground, huffing, the fury draining gradually from their nerves and veins. They shook their head and dreamed up Habriel in the room with them. He seemed to have no knowledge of the brush or words.

"Hey..." He said. "How's it going?"

 

They were determined.   
"Habriel," They said immediately. "I'm going to save you."

 

"I....what?" he seemed confused. Sitting down he looked at them, seemingly unaware of everything. 

"It says you can't be saved, but I'll do it," They pointed at the paint streaks on the tainted ground.

 

"Oh....thank you..." he muttered, looking up at them. He seemed disturbed by the room. He could tell they were upset about it.

 

He got up and hugged them. "Thank you for helping me...." he muttered. They hugged him back, feeling utterly helpless, even if it was just a dream.

 

"Habriel, you mean so much to me, you have no idea..." they whimpered. 

"I know..." He muttered. "I love you, Frisk. You're the best sibling I could ever have...." They suddenly woke up, leaping up with the piece of paper stuck to their cheek.

 

They got up and went to get a glass of water. Before heading downstairs, they went over to Habriel's room. Where they saw him and Marion in the bed together, sleeping soundly. The child sighed and went down.

 

Sans was up as well and saw Frisk enter the kitchen. "heya, kiddo..." They half waved and rubbed their eyes, getting their beverage. "can't sleep...." he sighed. "yeah, me neither. same goes for tori, i'm gettin' drinks for both of us..."

"Had a weird dream," They muttered to him between sips. "Bad."

"wanna talk about it?" he asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down. 

They sat down next to him and didn't talk for a moment.   
"So... this dream was really weird," They started.

 

"what happened in it?" He asked, taking a sip of his water. The other cup started to glow blue and he made it float upstairs to Toriel.

 

"Well," the child watched the cup float carefully upstairs. "It started our on what looked like a large piece of paper...I had no idea where I was or what was going on. Then I saw a large brush painting all over the floor. Drawing something." they went on.

The skeleton sat lazily, leaning an elbow on the kitchen table as he listened to them talk about the dream.

"Then, the dream became lucid. So I decided to look at what it was drawing..." they shivered, clenching their fists in frustration.

 

"yeah? what did it look like?" Sans asked.  
"The brush had written a few words under a picture of... Habriel on a cross," They fought to say it. "It said 'you can't save him' or something, and it made me mad.I looked at the brush and shattered it." they said. "It made me so angry and I..."

 

Sans sighed and yawned , still listening. They stopped their sentence short; they felt the tears well and urge to cry bubble up in their chest and throat.

 

"I'm scared..." they muttered. "I'm scared about Habriel. I don't wanna lose him."

 

Sans shifted in his chair, still propped up on one arm.  
"well, that's reasonable," He muttered, not having something crucial to say as a reply.   
"i mean, the kid gets himself in trouble whether he wants to or not."

 

"And what's worse is that he can't even help it..." they said. "It's all from Seraph and that curse."

 

"well seraph can't do much about it either," he reminded them. "if they weren't cursed, he would have nothin' to do with habriel."

 

"I know...." they slumped into their chair. "I just...I don't know what to do..."

 

"you can tell him about this," Sans suggested. "it'd be worse to hide it from 'im. he should know how ya feel." The skeleton had valid advice.

 

"Okay, so how do I bring this up to him?" They asked. "What do I say?"

 

Sans looked towards the staircase. "he's your bro. it doesn't have to be formal or anything. just ask to talk to 'im."

 

"Alright..." they nodded their head. "Thanks Sans."

 

"your welcome, kiddo," He had his usual grin on, but groggy-looking. They made their way upstairs and back to bed. Sans sighed and closed his eyes again. He leaned over the table and started snoozing, he didn't feel like going all the way back upstairs.

 

Meanwhile, in Habriel's room, Marion was having her own dream. She seemed completely still in bed. Hardly moving a muscle. However, this hardly reflected what was going on in her mind currently. It was dark in her dream too, and she was tirelessly chasing something she couldn't quite see.

 

The room was dark as well, and seemed endless. She got tired as her feet grew heavy and slowed. She squinted her eyes to look at what she was chasing. As it grew farther away from her, it became darker; it seemed to be a silhouette of her lover running away. She wanted to chase him, but felt heavy, and she wanted to interpret it's meaning, but she could barely think in her exhausted frenzy. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Focusing on what this could mean. As she did so, she began to walk again to follow him. 'What does this mean? Why can't I see him well?'

"Why is he running away from me?" She asked herself. Struggling to figure this out. Then, she realized that he wasn't running away from her. His silhouette was so dark she couldn't see that his body was facing hers; he was running towards her, but getting further back, as if being pulled away. She got up to see if she could catch up to him and find out what was pulling him away. For some reason, as she chased after him, after some time she somehow figured out that it was his curse pulling him away from her. Moving further and further down. She desperately tried to catch up to save him. This time, her legs burnt, and she felt like she would lose him if she stopped now. She caught up, fighting through the pain and reaching out to him. She grabbed him and yanked him away, freeing him. 

Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, recalling that she was there with him. He was dead asleep and dead silent. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled against him. He didn't react. She almost considered waking him. She watched him, wanting him to say something. 

 

He looked peaceful and she needed comfort. At first she gently nudged him, nothing. Then she resolved to whisper. "Habriel," She whispered.

 

He slowly opened an eye and yawned. "Yeah?" Marion sighed in relief. Just hearing him made her feel much better. She smiled and continued to hug him. Nuzzling against him. Realizing she needed some comfort, he reached over and gently stroked her hair. "Something wrong?" He asked.

 

"I just had a sort of nightmare," She murmured.

 

"I'm sorry..." he muttered. "Sorry you had to deal with that...."

She smiled. "It's alright, it just got me worried about you," She muttered.

 

"It's okay...." he murmured as he continued to comfort her. "I'm right here...."

 

She proceeded to explain to him the odd dream she had had just before waking up. He sighed and continued to comfort her. Reassuring her that everything would be fine.

"Did you dream anything?" Habriel's lover asked.

 

"Yeah...." Habriel said. "I was being nailed to a cross...."

 

Marion's eyes widened.   
"What?"

"In my dream, I was nailed to a cross and set on fire...." he said. "The people who watched were smiling....” This didn't help Marion much, as she looked horrified. 

 

"It was just a bad dream." he said. "I'm here, I'm fine. We're fine..." he closed his eyes as he rested his head against hers. "We're safe...."

 

"Right..." they had a moment like this, propped up together.

 

They cuddled for a bit before going back to sleep. Overnight, it seemed like everyone had nightmares. Specifically, about Habriel. What this meant, none of them knew. 

Toriel had one of her own, too. She tossed and turned in her bed as she was going through this nightmare. She was in Habriel's room, looking down at him. He was dead asleep again. He didn't even know she was there. In this horrid dream, she stared down at her son, whose complexion was pallid, and his eyes had darkened circles. Taking an even closer look. She could see he was malnourished. The boy was skin and bone. It'd be a miracle for him to carry his own weight. She knelt down at his bedside, frightened, and tried to awaken him. "Ha-Habriel," She urged. He struggled to breathe as he opened his eyes. He had a tired, weak look as he stared at his mother. She felt his skin, which felt cold and dry. She looked around in a panic, asking, "My child, what happened?" He couldn't even speak, he was so weak. It was a struggle for him to even move his mouth. "Are you cold?" Is all she was able to muster in her panic. It was all she could think of; at this point, she'd have to feed him only a little at a time. He hardly was able to shake his head. He was still wrapped in his blanket. "You're good? Okay, okay," She paced in a small area next to the bed, trying to think of how to revitalize him and how he could have gotten this way. He closed his eyes again, starting to fade away. She noticed and knelt down again, trying to keep him awake. If she didn't, there wasn't much of a chance for him. As she slept, tears trickled from her eyes onto her pillow.

 

In the dream, she could see his soul float in the air. Of all things he died from in her dream, it was from the comfort of her own home, under her care. The mother flew into action, placing his soul by his body and trying to resuscitate him, going into the compressions. No matter how hard she tried, it didn't work. He lied there, still and cold. His soul in her hands.

Toriel opened her eyes, laying still in bed. Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and she slowly sat up. She took a few deep breaths and got up out of bed. Her fur was streaked with tear stains as she shuffled out, down the hall towards her son's room. Slowly creaking the door open. She saw Marion sleeping soundly, but Habriel was still awake. He seemed to have struggled to sleep again. He heard the door creak open and looked up to see his grief-stricken mother in her nightgown.

He rubbed his eyes and saw the wet fur from her tears. "Hey mom." he said.

"Hey," She whispered in a gravelly voice.

 

He slowly got up and opened the door for her. "What's up?"

 

She looked tired, though she just woke up. He could see it in her face.  
"I had a nightmare, my child," She muttered hoarsely.

 

"Did it have me in it?" Habriel asked. "Marion had the same thing."

 

She looked confused. "Yes, in fact it did..."

 

"Here..." he hugged her. "It was just a dream."

 

She wept a bit more. "Somehow, you seemed malnourished, so much so that you died. I tried so hard to save you."

 

"I had one, myself..." he said as he looked up at her. "I was nailed to a cross and set on fire. The people who watched were smiling." he shook his head. "Needless to say, I was a little disturbed..." She wiped her face and looked at him. He looked perfectly fine, just sleepy. He hugged her again. "I'm okay..." he said. "It was just a nightmare."

 

"Do you know if anyone else is awake?" His mother asked, peeking around behind the door.

 

"I don't know." he shrugged. "I haven't really left the room until now." She looked nervous and hesitant, but resolved to let her family sleep more and to sleep more herself. She just hoped it would be nightmare-free.

"Do you want everyone to sleep together?" Habriel asked. "Maybe everyone else is having a hard time, too."

"Well, I don't know about the others but perhaps for my sake, may I stay in here?" She asked.

"Sure." he turned around and went back in his room.

She went in and closed the door, going over and sitting on the floor by the bed.

 

"I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor." Habriel moved over to the side, making enough room for him, Toriel and Marion.

 

"Oh, it's fine, my child, you two can have the bed," Toriel mumbled.

 

"Come on." Habriel said. "Not gonna happen. We got enough room anyway and the floor's cold."

 

"Alright," She conceded and joined them.

 

"Hopefully we'll all get some sleep." he said as he closed his eyes. She nodded and tried to give them room and let them be.

 

"Goodnight or morning..." he said. "Whatever time it is...." They fell asleep again, quickly. Habriel slept peacefully for the rest of the night. Toriel did too, now that she was able to speak with him. It seemed like all her and Marion needed was to be near him. To know that he was safe and nearby them helped calm them down. 

Frisk only had whisps of dreams- fractured fragments that drifted in and out of their subconscious as they rested. Due to their restless night, everyone woke up late in the morning. Chara and Flowey shared strange dreams they had with their family around the breakfast table. Meanwhile the others didn't want to talk about the weird dreams they had.

Frisk was groggy and uneasy from their bizarre dreams as the others shared.  
"I dreamt that I was on the surface, but still like this," Flowey gestured to himself. "And there was a lawnmower."

 

"Luckily I burrowed underground..." Flowey went on. "But, I was too scared to pop back up." Chara stretched and was ready to tell her dream after her brother finished.

 

"It wasn't a good dream..." Chara sighed. "I was my old self again...." Frisk ate cereal and listened glumly, feeling the effects of losing some of their sleep.

"Seems like none of us had a good sleep...." Marion sighed.

 

Frisk nodded, putting their head on the table beside their bowl. "What was in the dream, Chara?"

 

"It was our run..." Chara said. "You know the one..."

 

They closed their eyes. "Oh. That one. What about it?"

 

"Nothing, I just dreamed it again." Chara said.

 

"Oh. Lovely," Frisk exhaled, their head to the side. They saw Habriel and looked at him. Remembering they wanted to talk to him.

 

They lifted their head.   
"Hey Habriel? I had a dream and it makes me scared, can we talk?" They asked hesitantly.

 

"Oh...sure." he got up and followed them.

 

They went down a hallway away from the kitchen to talk. Frisk took a slow breath and got to talking.  
"I had a scary dream with you in it," They muttered. "And it wasn't random." He sat down and listened to them. Not sure if he was gonna like what happened in the dream. They explained about the vast expanse of white and the giant paintbrush making some giant image. They told him about floating up to see what it said or looked like, then described the imagery.

"You're sure I was nailed to a cross?" He gave a disturbed look.

 

They nodded earnestly. "Your arms were up like this," They lifted their arms so their body was a T shape. "And your eyes were closed. I could tell. Especially with what it said underneath... 'you can't save him.'"

 

"I was nailed to one in my dream, exactly like the way you described." Habriel said.

 

This is the point when they started to freak out.  
"What? You were on one in your dream?"

 

He nodded his head grimly. "There were people watching....smiling...."

 

"The ink it was painted with was like sludge," They shook their head. "When I fell in accidentally, it was hard to get out of. Almost like it was permanent."

 

"I don't know what that means, but...." he shivered. "I'm glad it was just a nightmare."

 

They nodded solemnly.   
"I got extremely mad because of it. More than usual."

 

"It's alright..." he held out his hands ready to hug them. They accepted, but it felt like they were back in their dream. 

 

"We're fine." Habriel muttered. "We weren't the only ones with bad dreams that night. Mom came in the middle of the night and had to see me..."

 

"Really?" They were surprised. "What's going on? Why are we all having nightmares with you?"

 

"I have no idea." he said. "My guess is that it's the curse getting stronger...."

 

They sighed. "Well, as long as it's just nightmares, it'll be alright."

 

"Are you guys sure you can deal with anything else the curse can bring?" Habriel asked hesitantly.

 

"Habriel, what would they be? You're part of our family- we couldn't leave you behind." Frisk gave a small smile.

 

"I'm sorry." Habriel said. "I just don't wanna see you all suffer over me..."

 

They held his hand in their small, soft one.  
"Come on, to leave you behind would be the worst thing ever."

 

"Alright..." he sighed. "Let's go back to everyone else." They returned to the table and sat down. Everyone seemed put off by the nightmares. Especially the ones about Habriel. He noticed, and hated to see them like this. Chara was not happy to see them all so upset over it. She didn't have any of their dreams, but by the descriptions of some of them, she could tell they were horrific.

 

"Excuse me..." Habriel muttered as he got up. He went upstairs to the bathroom and washes his face. Whimpering quietly. He knew they were suffering now because of him.

Chara and Flowey looked at each other, then at their mother, very worried for him. He sat down on the toilet seat. Hiding his face in his hands. He didn't want to see them like this. Frisk looked at their other siblings, scared for their brother's wellbeing. "What do we do?" They said.

He loved them all and appreciated their support. He didn't know what to do here. If he lived with them, they would suffer. If he left, they wouldn't suffer as much, but would be heartbroken. He felt like the scum of the earth. Seraph knew what Habriel was feeling. The specter appeared in the kitchen to the boy's family. He sighed. 

 

They all looked surprised that he was there, let alone looked... sad? He turned to them. "He's crying in the bathroom." he sighed. Frisk and their sister and brother were up immediately, going upstairs to hug him.

 

Habriel heard a knock on the door and immediately wiped his tears. "I'm sorry." he said. "I'll just be another minute."

 

Marion was with them, too. "Habriel," She called.  
"Please."

 

Habriel realized there was no point in hiding, he slowly opened the door. His eyes puffy red from the tears. "I'm sorry." he sobbed. They all tried to hug him at once. "I'm so sorry." Habriel sobbed. "You're all dealing with this because of me."

 

"It's okay," Frisk insisted. Marion stroked his hair. "We love you, Habriel," She said. 

 

"I love you guys, too..." Habriel cried, reaching out and hugging Marion. Toriel was distraught, she had no idea what to do. She immediately got up and went upstairs to go see him. 

"It hurts...." Habriel clinged to Marion. "It hurts to see you guys like this. Knowing I'm the reason because of it..."

 

They were all comforting him when she came up and heard him say this. "My child," She entered. "It is not your fault, you didn't cause this curse."

 

"But there's no reason why it should have lasted this long." Habriel said. "I should have stopped messing around down here. I should have already gotten the seven souls for Flowey. I should have figured out how to lift it." He shook his head, still crying. "I can't do anything right."

 

Toriel put a hand on his shoulder.  
"Habriel, you are a child. Your life wasn't supposed to be this way and you should have had things like a childhood, but it never happened. It is not your fault. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself."

 

"It doesn't matter if I'm a child or not." Habriel pointed to the surface. "The other kids. They still need me and I just left them. I should have saved them by now."

 

"It does matter that you're a child, though. All those in the Cathedral are adults who are probably stronger than I am," She pointed out.

 

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do anymore." he sobbed as he hid his face between his knees.

 

His mother knelt beside him, the other children behind her. "My child, I know it may sound bad, but you are not responsible in any way for those kids' well being. I fully understand your desire to free them and help them, but it's just a lot for one or two people alone."

 

"I can't help it." Habriel hugged her, still crying. "I was one of them."

 

She held him and stroked his hair rhythmically.   
"Habriel, I know. But this is just way over your head, which is why I wanted to help you."

 

"Habriel, this is all too much for you and Marion to do alone." She said. "If we all work together, we can get through this."

"I don't want you to get hurt." Habriel said.

"That works both ways, my child." Toriel had a serious look. "I do not want to stay down here, unable to help you. I want to protect you and I cannot do that if you won't let me. So please...." She started to tear up. "let me help you..." She hugged him tightly.

"A....alright...." he sniffled. Marion teared up as well. She cared so much for this family. 

"It's settled." Toriel said, looking him dead in the eye. "You're not doing this alone. Either you let us help you or you don't do it at all."

"Alright..." Habriel wiped his tears. 

She helped him up from the floor and dried his face. 

 

"Thank you..." Habriel smiled sadly. "All of you."

 

They all hugged him.   
"Thanks, Mom," Marion smiled sadly at the goat woman who rescued them from their early torment.

 

"Sorry to drag you all up here." Habriel said on the way downstairs. His siblings waved it off; he clearly needed them there. They didn't regret coming up to help him. He appreciated their support. More than they'd ever know. Without them, he'd be constantly suffering. They just wanted to see him happy. Despite everything. They manage to make him happy every once in a while. 

 

This was just one of the times his inner turmoil boiled over and overtook him. Luckily he had his family to support him. They would help him out of any mess. As they came back down, he thought about how fortunate he was to have them and their relentless support. Not all families were as supportive as they were. He knew from experience of his old family. He was glad to have met them. "Just say when you two have decided you're ready to face the Cathedral, we'll be happy to help you," Toriel smiled at Habriel and Marion. 

"Well since we're going together, we should get ready for it. And I know the perfect place to train." Habriel pointed at the portal outside of her house.

"For all of us to train?" She asked, eyeing the portal nervously. "What is it like inside?"

"You walk on these runes and you fall asleep, entering a lucid dream." Habriel said. "It's honestly the perfect simulation. There's one specter of an ancestor of mine who tries to kill you. If they succeed, you wake up and you can try again. The reason why it's so difficult is because the specters are hard to kill." He shrugged. "That's why I've been struggling with it by myself. I think if we try it together, we can get through this."

 

"Who will come with? I think Chara, Flowey and Frisk should stay behind," She sighed.

 

"It can be you, me, Marion, maybe Sans or someone else who can fight." Habriel said. "Like I said, we're just dreaming the fight."

 

"I can fight," Flowey cut in.

 

"What do you think?" Habriel asked as he turned to his mom. She looked reluctant, but let Flowey join them.

 

"We can go after breakfast." Habriel said. "Or whenever you're ready.” They all properly prepared, telling Frisk and their sister to remain in the house until they stopped training and returned. After they finished eating breakfast, they all made their way into the portal with all the gear they need.

Flowey was still in his pot, and needed no gear whatsoever, as he used magic. Leading them inside, Habriel brought them to the statutes and pointed out four out of the five. "I already beat this one." Habriel said, pointing at the statue of Karlel. He pointed at Munkir, a man in a frock coat and tricorn. Another woman in silk clothing and a knight in heavy armor.

 

His family gawked at the imposing structures circling the room. "These are your ancestors?" Flowey asked.

 

He nodded his head. "Yup, and we have to fight them."

Flowey's small dark mouth gaped at that.   
"Well, let's hope we can do it..."

 

"Forewarning, they are REALLY tough." Habriel said. "We might have to fight the same guy over and over, so be prepared to die....a lot...."

 

Toriel gulped, eyeing each statue individually. "Alright..."

 

"Alright...." Habriel sighed. "Which one do you want to do first?"

 

None of them were sure. "Which one did you last try to fight?"

 

"This one." Habriel pointed at Munkir. The man was a mountain of meat. Much bigger than the rest of them. Wearing spiked armor and a horned helmet, he could be seen holding his maces which were chained to his wrists. He was by far the most intimidating out of all the ancestors.

 

Flowey's petals wilted as he hunched back, staring at the thing. "Why were you fighting that one, out of all of them?"

 

Habriel shrugged. "I wanted to get him over with..."

 

"These are just copies of the real ancestors?" Flowey asked. 

 

"Yeah, that's about right." Habriel said. "But there's a downside to that. They're copies of the ancestors at their peak. And they couldn't have been more powerful than when they were bound to Seraph. Meaning there's a chance the specters will copy Seraph's possession over them. Which is when we have to let Seraph take over himself...."

 

They all looked nervous but determined to train. Sans nodded without saying anything. He looked at Habriel and Toriel.  
"Well, let's try," Toriel said.

 

"Alright, just sit on the rune under the statue when you're ready." Habriel said.

 

Sans we t and sat, then Toriel sat down, placing Flowey down beside her on the rune.  
"We're ready," She nodded.

 

"Alright." Habriel sat on the rune. "Now close your eyes."

 

They all followed his directions.  
'Now what?' Flowey thought. Soon they all fell asleep, even if they weren't tired. They all woke up in an empty coliseum, the benches were vacant. Nothing accompanying them but a silent breeze. Habriel was the first to get up.


	45. Chapter 45

His family sat slumped around, soon to awaken as well. First, his mother opened her eyes, then Sans. They straightened out and peered out at their large surroundings. Flowey opened his eyes as well. "Get ready." Habriel said. "Munkir's gonna show up soon. He won't wait for us."

Sans stood, watching for Habriel's ancestor. Flowey formed enough vines to break free from his clay confinement to fight. Toriel stood by them all. Soon the big man came. Smiling at them with his chained maces. Habriel and his family stood firmly, watching him. Without warning, Flowey shot large vines forward and grabbed the chained maces.

The man crushed those vines with his feet, and ripped them off. However, he was surrounded by friendliness pellets. He smiled, not moving a muscle. The pellets closed in and he simply tanked the damage.

More vines yanked at his weapons as he took the damage from the pellets. Flowey was already sweating, exerting much energy. Soon enough, the pellets disappeared. Flowey was already tired, the man laughed as he charged towards the group. Sans sprouted a horde of bones in front of them as quick, meager protection against him.

Toriel shot out swathes of fire at him. The man threw one of his maces, breaking through the bones and hitting Habriel, sending him flying and knocking the wind out of him. He charged in through the bones and started swinging at Toriel. She ducked under his first swing, forgetting this was just a dream, panicking about Habriel.

He took advantage of her panic. As she tried to rush to her child, he bashed her over the head with his mace. It sent her body skidding to the ground. She groaned as her family continued to attack the opponent. The man started throwing his maces around, using the chains to swing them around the air. He kept trying to hit Sans. Sans threw bones in the way of the maces each time, which broke at each impact to protect him. Flowey had made his way behind the huge man and started to pelt his back with friendliness pellets.

Munkir tanked the damage again and charged at the flower, trying to step on him Flowey was just a tad faster than Munkir, and kept popping out of the ground just out of the man's reach. Habriel quickly got up and threw a knife at the man, hitting him in the knee. However, the knife only scraped the skin, drawing a bit of blood. Habriel had forgotten that metal moving like that couldn't possibly pierce bone, but only bounce off. The man smiled and turned to face Habriel.

"Shit..." Habriel muttered. Think vines shot out from behind Munkir and lashed around his middle, tugging him away from Habriel. Habriel saw the opportunity, materializing a sword. He leaped into the air and slashed Munkir across the throat. The man gagged and choked as he dropped to his knees. Habriel killed him before he could even transform. 

"It's over...." Habriel smiled as he dropped to his knees as well. Toriel had gotten up and she and Sans caught up to the kids as they worked together to defeat the ancestor.

Everyone woke up, feeling exhausted from the fight. Habriel got up first and stretched his arms. "Man...." He sighed. "That was much easier with you guys around."

Flowey woke up in his cylinder of dirt in his quaint, unshattered pot. He pouted, putting his leaves on the rim of it. Toriel woke up at the same time as Sans. They both leaned on each other.

She wiped sweat from her forehead. "That was much different than what I imagined it would be."

"How'd you imagine it?" Habriel asked.

"I don't know, I just couldn't think of anything when you described it."

"Well, now you know I guess." Habriel shrugged. He looked up and saw Munkir's statue had glowing eyes. There were only three left.

"Now what do you wanna do?" Flowey asked.   
He stared at the statue of Munkir thinking, 'well, that wasn't too bad.'

"We got the man in the frock coat, the lady in silk, and the man in kight's armor." Habriel pointed out the statue. "So....unless if you're too tired....name your poison." Sans was fine with anything, and Flowey couldn't decide. 

"What about you?" Habriel asked his mother.

"Hmm... the man in the coat?" She pointed to the corresponding statue.

"Hey Seraph..." Habriel said. The specter appeared. "Who is he?"

"Elyon, the Bounty Hunter..." Seraph said. "This man would patrol the thirteen colonies as a hunter in more than one profession. Hunter of both animals, and humans. With that said, only the truly desperate would call his name for help. As the price for his service was very expensive. If there was one thing Elyon hated, it was having his time wasted. Contractors were expected to have the proper amount of money for the job and were to pay upfront. If not, or if the contractor in any way tried to rip him off. Well....best not think about that...."

"So, a mercenary," the flower chimed in.

"More like assassin." Seraph said.

"Well, he sounds like he acted mercenary..." They all looked at the other statues, then at Elyon. 

"You know nobles paid him to kill other nobles, right?" Seraph asked. They all looked at Seraph again, wondering if he was addressing just one of them or all of them.

"Alright, well you should get going..." Seraph muttered.

"right," Sans glanced at the statue and sat down on the rune in front of it, waiting for his family to join him. The others joined him, all taking their respective spots on the rune and closing their eyes like before. They all awoke faster this time to similar surroundings as the last battle. This time, they felt more ready.

This time, instead of a coliseum, they were in a wooden tower. It seemed to be pitch black outside, and rather cold. It was here when they saw Elyon, waiting for them nearby. He was staring directly at them from a rocking chair, seemingly unimpressed by the group before him. He didn't even get out of his chair. The family looked at each other, puzzled, not quite sure of what to do.

Habriel slowly took a step forward and materialized a violet sword. Without hesitating, Elyon pulled out a flintlock and shot Habriel in the gut, no one could have possibly reacted in time to stop him from getting hit. Habriel widened his eyes in shock and before he knew it, Elyon was right in front of him. No one saw him move, he was so fast. Elyon had his own sword, wasting no time as he slashed Habriel across the throat with it.

The boy dropped to his knees, gasping for breath as blood poured onto the floor. Elyon simply glared at the rest of the group. They all stared, petrified. Instantly, Flowey shot pellets at Eylon's head almost as fast as he moved. 

Habriel's body disappeared and Elyon dodged the pellets, this time moving for Toriel. Sans took her and immediately teleported them out of the way, while Flowey watched, breaking out of his pot. He sank into the ground. Elyon stabbed one of Flowey's petals, preventing him from going completely underground. He went to reload his gun. 

Hurriedly, Flowey tugged as hard as possible with some tears and ripped the rest of his body free from the stuck petal, shooting down into the dirt. In this time, Elyon managed to reload his gun, he would save it for the flower when it would decide to pop up again. However, now his focus was on the skeleton. He scanned the area for Sans silently. Flowey only peeked his eyes out from the dirt as silently as possible a distance away behind Elyon so as not to be detected. Elyon turned his head and saw the smiling skeleton with one eye glowing cyan and yellow. The assassin unimpressed, stood to face him. 

Without indicating a realization, Sans spotted Flowey behind him. Elyon, didn't notice. He appeared right in front of the skeleton, just like he did with Habriel and swung his sword again. This time, Flowey had the upper-hand, and shot a barrage of white hot pellets at Eylon's head, shooting back down into the soil instantly after. Elyon blocked the pellets with his sword and went back to fighting Sans. 

'damn,' Sans thought. Flowey burrowed more towards Eylon's knowing fully well he was most likey about to die. Flowey popped his head out again. Elyon wasted no time and pulled out his gun, shooting Flowey right in the stem. This took away a huge chunk of his health, but he firmed another stem-like vine in the ground. Elyon slashed Flowey with his sword, he stomped on the flower for good measure. 

Sans winced but attacked Elyon from behind while he was occupied. Elyon grunted and turned back to Sans, then to a still petrified Toriel. He readied his sword. She formed wall of fire after another that protected her, guessing that she was about to die. Elyon paused and reached for another pellet to reload his gun. She didn't know what to do, she didn't have anything that could stop a bullet. It took him a minute, but he reloaded his gun again. He squinted his eyes as he aimed at her. He was going right for the head. 

 

Sans teleported beside her and took her hand, teleporting them away from his current aim. Elyon grunted and scanned the area, trying to find out where they could have gone. Out of the battle, Flowey and Habriel sat glumly by the rune and their family.  
"I can't believe it," Flowey grunted. "He stomped me like a bug!"

"I didn't even have the chance to fight him..." Habriel shook his head. "Didn't even hesitate..."

Flowey sulked. "He shot my stem then stomped on me like I was an insect. He was going to shoot Mom, too."

"I wish we could go back in there." Habriel said. "But we have to wait for them to wake up..." They watched the facial expressions change on Toriel and Sans as they slept. They both seemed exasperated. Elyon had found them, raising his sword. He was getting ready to slash Toriel again. However, Sans took the blow for her and woke up.

"damn," He muttered when he awoke and looked at Toriel.

Toriel was all by herself, now. Elyon glared at her and pointed his sword, slowly taking a step towards her. She threw balls of fire repeatedly at him, running in a zig-zag pattern away to not be hit. He slashed the balls of fire with his sword which started to glow violet. He was using more of his magic, now. Toriel turned and saw that there was a violet light emitting from the bottom of Elyon's boots. She knew he used magic to move quickly, but she was happy to figure out how he was able to do it.

"ugh, now she's on her own," Sans sighed. Toriel continued to run, feeling a bit accomplished that she figured out Elyon's trick.

She might have figured out how he moves quickly, but she still didn't figure out how to stop him. He moved right in front of her, stabbing her right in the throat with his sword. He watched her drop to her knees as she gasped for breath. His glare was cold. She glared back indignantly, knowing she wasn't dying.

 

The others watched her wake up. Habriel seemed frustrated that Elyon managed to beat them all. "I'm sorry guys." He said.

She shook herself out, and looked at them.  
"Sorry," was the first word out of her mouth. She recalled what Elyon did with his magic to move so quickly, and quickly told her family.

"Awesome, great job figuring that out." Habriel smiled. However, his expression quickly turned sour. "Now we just have to figure out how to counter that."

They all sat in silence. Flowey was inspecting the other statues.  
"You think those would be any easier? We could try to work our way up in skill," The flower suggested.

"Wanna try the lady in silk?" Habriel asked. "Seraph, who is she?"

"She doesn't have a name." he explained. "Not much is known of this woman aside from being a concubine of a powerful lord who resided in the Cayman islands. However she did manage to inspire terror among servants and unwelcome guests as she had practiced black magic. There had been many cases where she would find an intruder and kiss them on the lips, only for them to die right afterwards. With this in mind, many would avoid her and the lord, as he is the only one she would kiss without killing him. She had also used this power to her advantage by killing a wife or two in their sleep, as she had grown jealous of them over time. She would eventually become the only person the lord would care about and trust."

"Whoa."  
Flowey stared at it and the other statue. "How is her strength compared to Elyon's?" Flowey asked.

"It's hard to say..." Seraph said. "But one thing is certain. She might have kissed those people, but if she so much as touches you, you're dead.” 

The flower sank into his dirt.  
"How?"

"She has these small fragments of magic all over her body. They're about the same size as human cells." Seraph explained. "They burrow into your body and tear apart any vital organ inside. They also drain your magic and life essence."

"Figures." They all looked exhausted already, and weren't so sure about launching into another battle they were sure to lose.

"On the other hand, that's her one and only trick." Seraph said. "She's not fast, nor strong. Only manipulative. Don't let her get close to you and victory will be yours."

"hey, maybe we can do it," Sans said.   
"what do you guys think?"

"Sounds pretty easy." Flowey said. 

"I think we got this." Habriel said.

Toriel nodded. "Let's try. After this, maybe we can go home." Everyone sat on the rune under the lady's statue and closed their eyes. This time, they woke up in a large mansion. They did what they did in the other battles to prepare, awaiting the woman's arrival. She soon arrived, slowly making her way down the stairs with a heart-warming smile.

They all watched her, confused. Flowey gave his brightest smile back, not letting his guard down. She slowly made her way down stairs and offered a hand for them to shake. Still with that bright smile of hers. They all politely shook their heads, refusing to touch her. She took a few steps closer, arms wide open. She was about to hug Habriel. He shook his head and moved away from her, nor wanting to instantly, violently die. They all didn't know what to do or say.

She put on a frown. Seemingly sad that they alienated her. She sat down, turning her head away to hide a tear. They all started to feel uncomfortable, not knowing how to initiate action. Flowey watched. She looked up at them with her glistening violet eyes. Hugging her knees and shedding a tear. Flowey frowned, not wanting to give in to crying too. It was hard; she seemed so nice. His petals wilted. She hid her face in the palms of her hands. Quietly sobbing.

 

Flowey sank into the dirt, popping up a little ways away in front of the woman. He was looking at her face. She seemed to have been genuinely sad. Her makeup ran down her face along with her tears. Flowey considered saying something, and looked at his family before he opened his mouth.  
"Miss...?"  
She wiped her tears and looked at the flower in a sad smile. He wore a simple, unassuming, innocent face. In reality, if he had his fur, it would be standing on end. He knew she could kill him with the lightest tap, and it freaked him out. She didn't move a muscle, she just stared at the flower with a smile. She slowly reached out to pet him. Flowey winced but when she touched him, nothing happened. He looked confused.

She smiled and wiped her tears again. There seemed to be a level of sentience coming from the specter. She didn't want to fight. "You okay?" The flower asked hesitantly, wondering how he wasn't dead yet. She shook her head. "What's wrong?" He asked, surprised.

"I didn't want this..." She sobbed. Her voice was harmonic, beautiful even.

"Want what?" He asked in an attempt to sympathize.

"I don't want to fight." She said. "I just want to be happy again."

"Oh," Flowey drooped. "I think we understand... we won't fight you if you don't want to fight."

"You have to." She cried. "Just please... make it quick." She started shivering and hyperventilating.

They all looked upset. Flowey pat her knee with a leaf. "Guys, we should just go."

"There's no way you can leave without killing me." She said. "Either I kill all of you, or you kill me."

Flowey extended a leaf and wiped away her tears, feeling awful. "I'm sorry." She kept crying, hiding her face in the palms of her hands.

 

"What do we do?" Toriel asked Habriel, worried. "Is Seraph here?"

Habriel sat next to her. "Is there a way we can make this painless."

"I don't want to be alone again, either." She cried.

Flowey sighed.  
"What should we do?"

Habriel put a hand on her shoulders. "I'm sorry..." He muttered.

"So am I..." She muttered as her eyes started glowing. Habriel and Flowey both started choking and coughing as their skin and vines turned black.

"You... liar," Flowey coughed as he wilted. "You're a... t-tough act to follow." She got up and smiled as she shook her head. Walking away.

Sans's expression lowered. "go burn in hell," He muttered as he shot hundreds of bones her way.

"There's no such thing." She smiled. "Only a cold blackness awaits you when you die." She stood, and all the bones hit or pierced her form head-on. The woman underestimated Sans and Toriel, thinking the monsters would be fodder. Thick, dark blood dripped down her clothes from her torso where the bones punctured her. She smiled as she was pierced. She didn't care.

She certainly could feel it though; it was quite difficult to ignore large objects piercing your flesh and severing your nerves and veins. Tearing vital organs like tissue paper. Soon enough, Sans and Toriel woke up. They had won.

"You two okay?" Toriel asked as soon as she laid eyes on her kids.  
"Yeah..." Habriel sighed, slightly depressed.

"That woman was a snake," Flowey shivered. "Glad that's done with."

"She really had me fooled." Habriel said. "Damn, she's good..."

"too bad she's of no fighting use," Sans muttered sarcastically.

"Yeah, I saw that." Habriel smiled. "Absolutely had that coming." Their limbs burned and their joints ached, which they felt after the adrenaline died down. They needed to go home. Habriel got up and helped his mother and the skeleton up off the ground. He also picked up the flower pot and was starting to make his way back. Flowey sighed and retired into his soil for the day.

Habriel opened the door for everyone and put Flowey down on the table. He went over to the couch and sighed from relief. Sans and Toriel collapsed on either side of him on the couch, exhausted of all their energy. Habriel closed his eyes, deciding that he should get some rest.

Frisk and Chara were upstairs, having heard them come back home. They went downstairs to check on their family. Habriel was already dead asleep. They spotted them all, looked at each other, then nodded. They ventured up, returning shortly with a blanket for those on the sofa. They managed to throw it over everyone on the couch and even tucked them in. They smiled at each other and their handiwork, then went to bed themselves.

This time, everyone slept peacefully. It was nightmare free. Frisk and Chara felt relief knowing that their family was back. Marion came downstairs, smiling at the sight before her on the couch.

She walked over quietly and kissed Habriel's forehead. He however didn't move. He had no idea she was even there. It was funny to her. Instead of leaving, she lightly blew air on his head to see if he'd wake up. She held in her giggles. He didn't move an inch. She decided to sit on the couch and cuddle with him. It felt so good, to feel the calm rise and fall of his chest by her head, undisturbed. She soon closed her eyes as well. Following everyone else's lead. The night was a blank, fuzzy blur of peace.

It seemed like a hard day's work was what they really needed. Getting them to relieve some stress throughout the day and finally get to relax. Their dreams weren't clear, but fanciful blobs and sparks in their heads that soothed them and made them happy. 

Habriel's little dreams mostly consisted of spending time with the family. No cathedral, no danger. Just peace and quiet with his loving family.

Frisk dreamt of acting on set with Mettaton himself, the spotlights flashed, the music blared. They wore a sparkling dress that fanned out when they twirled.

Marion dreamed of playing in a band. Habriel was the singer. 

Sans dreamed of watching tv with Toriel and Papyrus.

Toriel dreamt of taking her kids out to an amusement park one day, the Cathedral gone, nothing else to worry about.

Chara dreamt of having a fountain of chocolate. Dark chocolate specifically, her favorite.

Flowey dreamt of being Asriel once again. Being happy with his new family, feeling love again. A feeling he missed. He could feel his soft white fur again, could wear his favorite sweater. He woke up in the morning, depressed it was just a dream.

He brought his leaves up, pulling on his yellow petals dreadfully. Feeling his small, featureless flower face. His frail, pathetic stem. He started to whimper quietly, waking up Chara. She saw her best friend in the sad state and got up to comfort him.

She sat with him.  
"Hey, it'll be alright, " She reassured him.

He looked up at her and smiled sadly. "Yeah...."

"Really. We'll get you back to normal soon."

He smiled and looked up at her. "Thanks."

She pat his head. She was going to make sure he would get to be his old self again.

"I wanna help, but mom doesn't want me to go..." Chara shrugged.

"Probably because my magic is strong," Flowey mumbled.

"Yeah, I don't know. I'll still try to convince her otherwise." Chara said. "I already died once, it's not like they can kill me again. Even if they destroy this body, I'd just have to find another to possess. It's really no big deal...."

"Uh, Chara, that's kind of a big deal," Flowey laughed. "Find a new body?"

"I can leap out of this one whenever I want." She raised an eyebrow. "And there's lots of people in the Cathedral, I'm sure if a body was destroyed, I'd easily be able to find another one. Also, I'm kind of stronger than everyone, so..."

"Oh, true..."  
They wondered if anyone else was awake yet. Flowey apologized for waking Chara up.

"You're fine." Chara smiled. "I'm glad I woke up. I'd hate to leave you alone like that." She started laughing. "You always were a cry baby."

"Charaaaa," Flowey groaned. "This is different! I don't even have arms."

"Alright, alright." Chara giggled and shook her head.

Frisk heard chatter in the next room, and woke up. They got out of bed and went down the hallway to see what was going on. They cracked the door open to see their brother and sister awake and talking.

"Hey guys." Frisk said as they walked in.

"Hey, Frisk," They both said to them. They nodded their head and sat down. "Guess we're the only ones awake..." Chara pat the space beside her on the bed and they accepted the invite, sitting with her and Flowey. "What are you two gonna do today?" Frisk asked.

"I dunno, help train with those ancestors again, maybe," Flowey replied, remembering the moment the woman in silk killed him.

"I'm gonna try to convince mom to let me help as well..." Chara said.

Frisk nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll still have nothing to do but wait," They chuckled. "But that's okay. I don't think I could do what you guys are doing."

"Yeah....honestly, it's a bit of a stretch for us to go." Chara said. "No way she'd let you go as well."

They nodded again. "I know, that's fine. I'll find something to do."

"We won't let you stay home alone." Chara said. "Maybe when we leave, we take you to Asgore and you can stay with him for the time. And us if mom doesn't let us go, either."

"Okay. We can ask."  
"I mean, Mom let me go already," Flowey said. 

Habriel and Marion were still sleeping while Toriel and Sans were in the kitchen. Chara left the room and went to see if their mother was awake yet. She spotted her with the skeleton and returned to let Frisk and Flowey know.

"hey, i've been thinking about something...." Sans said to Toriel as Chara went back upstairs.

"Yes, Sans?" She asked warmly.  
"it's about habriel and what he did earlier..." Sans sighed. "you know, him leaving. i wanna ask. what's stopping him from doing it again? how do we know he's not just saying yes to us only to sneak off on his own again?"

She sighed and leaned on her elbow. "You're right, I understand what you're saying. Buy what else can we do other than just trust him? He saw the panic it caused."

"i got an idea, though..." He leaned forward. "just in case..."

"What is it?" Toriel asked. 

"i'm thinking about planting something on the kid that can give me his coordinates wherever he goes." Sans said. "it can be something really tiny and unnoticeable. if he does leave..." he looked back over to the sleeping boy on the couch. "we can go to him, anyway."

She thought it over. "It's a good safety tactic, but it feels like an invasion of privacy," She replied.

"we might have to have those if we wanna keep him safe..." Sans shrugged.

She sighed. "Sans, we were teenagers too once. They need space, and Habriel is very mature for his age. I don't want him to get hurt, but I also don't want him to think of us as intrusive in his life."

"alright..." He shrugged. "i'm just throwing suggestions..."

"No, it's a good, valid suggestion," She stated quickly. "It could work. Would it be better if we spoke with him first?"

"i don't think it'd be a very nice conversation." Sans said. "i mean, we'd be doing this just in case he would sneak off again. if we told him, it might make it worse."

She put her head down. "It just feels sneaky and dishonest. But alright."

"i know, but....we'd be doing this to protect him." Sans held her hands. "protect him from himself..."

"All he wants to do is protect his family and make good change," She muttered. "But you're right. He'll hurt himself or worse if this keeps happening."

"alright..." Sans had his eye sockets glow cyan as a little tiny spec of magic appeared in his hand. "we can put this in his breakfast..."

She inspected the tiny orb of light. "Will there be any side-effects?"

He shook his head. "kid won't even know." He said.

"Okay. I'll give him cereal or eggs maybe."

"we just gotta mix it in whatever food given to him." Sans said. "i made it small enough to make it hide in anything."

"We can do it today." Sans nodded his head and she got up, ready to make breakfast.

Upstairs, Frisk, Chara and Flowey decided they would finally go out of the room. Making their way downstairs, they saw Marion using Habriel as a bit of a pillow as she laid on him. Her head on his chest while her arms were wrapped around him. Chara and Frisk giggled silently and went.

They went into the kitchen and saw their mother already preparing breakfast. They all bid Toriel and Sans a good morning and sat down at the kitchen table, wondering what breakfast would be. "How's everyone feel about pancakes?" Toriel winked at her children. Habriel and Marion finally woke up. They all sounded excited. 

Habriel chuckled at finding Marion laying on b I'm as soon as he woke up. "Someone's comfortable..." Habriel said as he stroked her hair. She giggled, laying face-down on him. "You know someday, I'm gonna do this back and you're gonna be annoyed." He chuckled. She waved it off. They got up to get ready upon hearing sound in the kitchen. They entered the kitchen and saw the rest of the family already up and getting ready for breakfast.

 

Toriel made sure to put the small amount of magic Sans provided in one of the pancakes, not forgetting which one had it to give to Habriel. Habriel sat down at the table after he made himself a cup of coffee. Toriel served them all their pancakes, making sure Habriel got the correct one on his plate. It was the very first pancake he got. He heartily consumed it, unaware of what was inside. Toriel and Sans looked at each other for a moment then dug into their plates.

Habriel didn't seem to have a clue as to what he just ate. Toriel remained feeling guilty, although it was for his own good. "So how are we gonna do this?" Habriel asked. "The training, I mean. I don't want it to take up our lives all day every day."

Sans shrugged. "i don't have anything better to do," He said simply. Flowey nodded. "Me neither."

"Alright, if you say so..." Habriel shrugged.

"I'm willing to go whenever you would like," Toriel said.

"We can go again after breakfast." Habriel said. She nodded. Frisk finished and put their plate in the sink. Chara and Flowey looked at each other, remembering they would ask if Chara could come.

"Hey mom, can we talk?" Chara said as she returned to the table.

"Oh? Sure," She nodded. "Here, or a different room?"

"It's not too private." Chara said. "We can talk where ever."

"Well, we can just ask now," Flowey said, leaning towards his sister. 

"I wanna help." Chara said. "You know, help Habriel."

Toriel glanced at Habriel, then Sans. "With the training? You think you're up for it?"

"Well, yeah." She said. "I wanna help."

She seemed in thought. She turned to Habriel. "What do you think?"

"She's really strong." Habriel said. "Stronger than any of us. And on top of that, like Marion, she can't die."

Their mother nodded in understanding. "Okay, you can come help us with this." Chara was taken aback by Toriel being so agreeable. However, she wasn't going to complain about it, either. She smiled and nodded her head. They all finished, and Toriel realized that something was unaddressed.

"Oh, we should have someone stay with Frisk, " She exclaimed, looking at her young child sympathetically.

"Maybe we should alternate or take turns." Habriel said. "I went yesterday and I feel that Marion and I should both be training. So why don't I watch Frisk today and Marion goes with you guys instead?" Marion agreed with him, of course, and Frisk was fine either way. They had planned on finding ways to occupy themself anyway.

"I could use the exercise." Marion got up and stretched her arms. Toriel kissed Frisk's head before they went out, the others waving before the door closed behind them. Now it was just Frisk and Habriel in the house.

"What do you wanna do?" Habriel asked as he sat down with Frisk on the couch. 

They shrugged. "Anything's fine." Toriel, her partner, and children all walked and entered the portal to train with the ancestors again. 

"Which one are we gonna do?" Flowey asked. "Wanna try Elyon again?"


	46. Chapter 46

"how about the other one first?" Sans suggested. "elyon was a bit too hard last time."

"Is Seraph around to explain who that is?" Marion asked. The specter appeared within the room. 

"The knight is Demon Slayer Ballaton." Seraph explained. "Proud son of Karlel. Ballaton pledged to protect his Kingdom from a threat even more dangerous than a monster with human souls. That threat being demons. With the help of a few mages who practiced black magic, he would be transported to the plane of existence in which the demons reside to fight as many as possible before returning to the human world. It is unclear exactly how many demons he had killed, but Ballaton stated that he had "lost count after three hundred". Armed with a trident and the magic the mages would teach him, he proved to be a very powerful adversary to those despicable creatures. Surprisingly enough, he was one of the few Clemens who had died from old age. Despite that, his name would echo throughout the kingdom as a symbol of pride and hope. One thing that made him fierce in battle was that the mages taught him to summon a Pride demon. A demon that resembles a giant serpent with wings. He would ride it into battle against the demons and would use all his magic on all the enemies below him. He didn't mind using this demon as not only would it provide him an edge he needed, he considered it to be both a prize and a pet for himself." Flowey shrank down. Even Sans seemed intimidated by the man's description. How would this ancestor square up compared to Elyon?

"So who will it be today?" Seraph asked. "Elyon, or Ballaton? The assassin quick on his feet or the demon slayer who fights alongside one?" They all exhaled, weighing their bleak options carefully. They all seemed indecisive.  
Sans suggested again his previous notion and the small group collected at the feet of the statue, expecting nothing less than instantaneous, gruesome peril. This time when they closed their eyes. They woke up surrounded by mountains and clouds. A cold quiet breeze greeting them as they stood on a plateau. The younger ones of the small force tried to take it in before the oncoming battle.

All that could be heard was clanking metal from the distance. Sounding like metal boots marching across the ground. As soon as it reached their ears, they tensed up and became watchful. The sound reverberated off the mountains in the distance, making it hard to tell what direction it came from. Toriel turned her head and saw a black figure approaching from the distance. Slowly, armed with a trident. She nudged her children and Sans noticed it too. They watched, wondering how the interaction would commence.

The man in black metal plate armor soon approached them. Glaring at the family just like Elyon. He didn't seem interested in talking. Flowey gave a half-hearted wave that was awkward and didn't do much. The knight held out his free hand. A bright violet ball glowing from the palm of his hand. It raised alarm. Flowey immediately burrowed, as per usual, to avoid injury at the very start. The man threw the ball high into the air. Everyone watched as it continued to rise in the sky.

'The hell is that?' Chara thought.

Soon the ball split into five smaller fragments and started crashing down to the ground. Causing them to explode upon impact. The family scattered, barely missed by the explosions. Flowey stayed under the soil. The man rushed towards Marion. Swinging his trident left and right. Barely giving her time to dodge. She ran. Sans formed bones, Toriel fire, and each began to shoot them at the assailant. The man ran away from the attacks and came running towards Toriel.

She ran in the opposite direction to get away, shooting streams of fire from her palms at him. He made sure to avoid the fire. He was starting to move faster and faster. From a distance away, Sans shot more bones at her pursuer in the hope that it would get him distracted. The bones got in the way. He paused and glared at the family. Suddenly, he started glowing violet. The goat woman he chased backtracked all the way back to Sans and Chara. Soon enough, a large pair if violet wings extended from Ballaton's back. Flowey peeked out of the dirt to see Ballaton spreading the vibrant wings apart, reading to take off to rear back on his ground opponents.

Ballaton took off into the air. Ready to fight again. The ground erupted, large flaps of soil peeling and blowing back from vast, red-thorned vines as thick as pipes shooting into the sky after him. Ballaton swung his trident, chopping the vines into countless pieces as they reached for him. Blood came flying at him as well. He turned his head to face Marion. Fire, bones, vines, and blood all chaotically flew after Ballaton, wrapping around his limbs, battering and piercing his body. He crashed to the ground. The family was about to celebrate their victory. Until he slowly started to get up. The wings disappeared as he slammed his hand into the ground, making a violet rune appear beneath him. Opening a portal.

"No..." Marion muttered. 

Ballaton stood up straight as a large clawed hand reached out through the portal. Ballaton stood up straight.

"No, no, NO!" Marion started making her way over. However the clawed hand swiped at her, sending her flying back. A gigantic serpent creature with large wings and claws crawled through the portal. Standing next to the demon slayer. He climbed onto the back of the creature's neck, mounting it like a horse as it lifted it's head in the air and made a loud guttural roar. Flowey threw even larger thorny vines around the length of the creature, groaning under the strain to contain the horrid thing.

The pride demon ripped the vines off effortlessly as it took off into the air. Ballaton formed another violet ball in his hand. Launching it into the air like before. This time, no where was safe from his onslaught. Flowey desperately tried again to thwart his attacks with roping vines, hurting himself while blocking them from reaching his family.

Soon enough the demon came flying towards them. Landing caused a little shock wave. Making everyone lose their balance. The demon turned it's head to Toriel. Roaring as it reared it's head towards her. She tried to get away, however Ballaton stabbed her with his trident. Soon enough the dragon lifted it's head and Ballaton lifted her in the air with his trident. Holding her above him high up in the air, he made her slide deeper and deeper into the blade thanks to gravity. He glared at her from below. 

Chara vomited, even though it technically wasn't real. Flowey retracted his tendrils. He flicked her off his trident, where she crashed into the ground rather ungracefully. She then unceremoniously became dust. In the real world, she woke up, frustrated. Flowey and Chara looked to their older sister and Sans.

Ballaton turned his focus to Sans, next. The dragon took off into the air for the demon slayer to continue his onslaught. Chara looked down at her disgusting clothes momentarily before going on to defend the small skeleton. Flowey travelled fast in the dirt to them.

The pride demon took off into the air again, charging at the entire group. Ballaton was ready with his trident, waiting to impale one of them. A jagged, solidified shard of blood flew in the air, aI ming to pierce the side of Ballaton's head. Ballaton had the demon rear it's head into the way, taking the attack for him. He jumped off the demon and made a break for them. Marion summoned her blood back and formed an elaborate, glossy sword. 

He charged at her. When she tried to swing her sword, he rolled away from the attack and quickly got up. Grabbing her by the throat. He was about to finish her when he got slashed across the back. Chara was holding her knife. 

Still squeezing Marion's throat, he glared at Chara. Before she could do anything, she was suddenly lifted into the air by the pride demon. It roared at her and tossed her off the mountain side. She careened off the mountainside, waking up in real life fairly short. "Dang," She muttered. 

Ballaton impaled Marion with his trident while this happened. She woke up as well. All that was left was Sans and Flowey. Flowey moved to be beside Sans, frightened. He was shaking tired. Sans was panting as he summoned a few Gaster blasters, aiming right at Ballaton. The demon lifted the demon slayer in the air and flew off.

"What?" Flowey stared as his form vanished in the distance behind a mountain. Once again, Ballaton was riding his demon. Preparing another magical attack. The last two survivors searched for him, expecting a sneak attack.

The demon flew over them as Ballaton threw another orb in the air. The attack acted just like the ones before. Dividing into five smaller shards and crashing down below. Flowey burrowed and Sans teleported, forming a bone cage around him to prevent shrapnel from hitting him. The demon landed in front of the skeleton and Ballaton jumped off. Ready to fight the quick skeleton. 

Every slash, every attack was met with the skeleton just teleporting out of the way. He was too quick for Ballaton. The demon tried to fight as well. Swinging its large claws whenever it saw the tiny monster. They forgot about Flowey who was still underground. He kept peeking out from the dirt, trying to form a plan of action. Ballaton and the giant serpent kept moving, though. Flowey decided to distract the demon slayer. Using vines to restrain him, taking him by surprise as they popped out of the ground. The demon was still after Sans. 

Flowey's head stayed underground, away from all his vines to avoid getting directly attacked. He strained to restrain Ballaton as best as he could. The knight struggled to move as he dropped to his knees. He dropped his weapon. Another vine snatched up the weapon immediately, and Flowey peeked out, calling to Sans. Sans turned his head to Flowey. As well as the demon. Flowey had difficulty, but raised the weapon in his vine, ready to end this battle.

Ballaton continued to struggle, unable to move. The demon tried to make its way to him, but Sans turned it blue. Making it unable to move. Finally maneuvering the weapon in a tight grip, Flowey finished off the knight on his grasp. Ballaton coughed blood as he collapsed. The demon disappeared. Flowey didn't let go of him until he was sure the fight was finished. "Well," he put the weapon down quietly. "That was.... a thing."

Sans wiped the sweat from his brow and gave Flowey a thumbs up. They woke up. Flowey looked distant, thinking something over that nobody knew. Toriel, Chara and Marion saw them wake up. "How'd it go?" Toriel asked.

"We won." Sans smiled. Chara noticed Flowey's expression. He looked partially relieved, but a bit scarred.

She got up and walked over to him. "Hey..." she said with a concerned smile. Kneeling beside him. His petals curled inwards towards his face, a fragile shield. His stem bent downwards towards the soil from which it sprouted. "What's wrong?" Chara asked. "Are you okay?"

He nodded pathetically. "Yeah." His voice made him seem smaller, weaker. It was barely a whisper. He seemed shaken up.

"Hey..." She lifted his pot carefully and hugged him. "You can tell me, it's okay..."

He exhaled, sinking gradually. He looked as if he was going to say something, but stopped himself, trying to form the words.   
"I don't... know," he muttered. "Killing like that... again? I don't know if I can."

"Yeah..." Chara hugged him. "I know what you mean. It's not so easy, anymore..."

"I mean... I had told myself I wouldn't do things like that again... but here we are." His voice was dry and tired.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to." Chara said. "Luckily that wasn't the real deal. We can still go back if we want to. No one will think of us any differently for it."

The plant turned to glance at his mother, Marion, and Sans, twisting back around ashamed. "I don't want to leave Habriel and Marion to do this themselves," He sighed. "It's obvious I can help... I'd feel bad to abandon them with this."

"Look at you." Chara said. "You're bundling up from just dreaming it. None of us want to make Habriel and Marion do it alone. But they don't want us to suffer over this, either."

Flowey was indecisive. "I don't know what to do."

"Come on, let's go back home for now." Chara stood up. She carried the flower pot with her, turning to the others. They exited through the portal and headed home. Habriel was watching tv with Frisk. They saw the rest of their family come inside. Upstairs, Chara discussed Flowey's feelings about the battle.

"It does feel weird." Chara shrugged. "Wrong even..."

"Well of course it does, I killed a man," Flowey stated bluntly. "How could it not feel wrong?"

"I mean you did and didn't." Chara said. "We can probably go right back in and he'll be just fine. After all it was just a dream and not the actual guy."

"It felt so real, though," He wilted.

"Well it was a lucid dream." Chara shrugged. She initiated a fight with the flower. "Look, no EXP earned."

He sighed. "Right. It wasn't a real person."

"We don't have to go anymore if we don't want to." Chara said. "Like I said before. They won't blame us."

He smiled sadly up at his sister. "Thanks for being understanding."

"Of course." she smiled down at him. "We're all here for each other."

"did you two see where the others went?" Sans asked Frisk and Habriel. 

"Flowey and Chara went upstairs and Marion's in the kitchen." Habriel said. Sans nodded and thanked them curtly. Habriel went back to watching tv with Frisk. Sans considered having a conversation with the flower and keeping watch of him.

 

He wasn't sure what the flower was up to if he was up to anything at all. He recalled all the timelines where the flower had a leaf in the destruction of everything he knew and loved. This time he was close to a few things he cared about. Flowey didn't have a reason to revert back to his old self, but the flower was unpredictable if anything. He took a short cut to the upstairs to eve's drop on Flowey and Chara's discussion.

He saw their conversation about how uncomfortable Flowey was about that entire moment. And how Chara told him they would not be judged for backing out. 'maybe tori's right...' the skeleton considered in his head. Chara seemed very supportive of Flowey while holding him. Sans went back down, shaking his head. 'it must be different from the other timelines. maybe since hab's with us, now. the flower's gonna play it nice." Sans thought. "this is the first timeline where habriel didn't die after falling underground so this is new to all of us...' He sat back down with Toriel.

"How did it go?" Toriel asked him.

"you might be right, but i just wanna be sure," He responded. He decided he would have a chat with Flowey when he was downstairs. Hours went by, and it was lunch time, so Chara and Flowey finally came down the steps. They greeted their family as they came downstairs. Sans took this opportunity to pull the flower aside to have one of his little chats.

"Yes?" Flowey asked. "What's up?" Sans indicated to Toriel that he was going to be occupied.   
Flowey worried a bit; was Sans going to talk to him about earlier? He was nervous. His petals shivering as he looked up at Sans. The skeleton sat in a chair in front of Flowey and exhaled. "So uh....." Flowey looked around. More uncomfortable than ever. "What is it?"

Sans sighed with his eyes closed, unsure of how to begin. Flowey watched the skeleton's expression. Neither were really prepared for this, or even knew what to say. Neither of them expected to be in this position. "i feel like something's up," Sans muttered, staring at the flower. Flowey expected anything but that statement, and was taken aback.

"Huh, with what?" Flowey asked. Having no idea where Sans was going with this.

"you left the portal back there pretty fast," the skeleton said in a low rasp. He was staring into Flowey's face searchingly. The flower felt backed into a corner already and he hadn't done anything. "you planning something?"

"No, I just..." Flowey sighed. "When I killed Ballaton, I didn't... I didn't feel right. I tried to go back on the whole kill or be killed thing. And yet I killed him, I just...I'm not comfortable with that..." Sans raised an invisible brow to Flowey's plead, nodding slowly. He seemed suspicious nonetheless.

"That's why I don't wanna be involved anymore..." Flowey said.

"look, kid. the reason i ask is because of the... timelines, ya know..."

"I know exactly why." Flowey said. "Look, I...I'm trying to change..."

"alright," he nodded, sighing again. "i'll take your word for it."

"Yeah, this is all new to me, too." Flowey shrugged. "Y'know?"

"Please, just believe me when I say I'm trying to change for the better," Flowey stated. 

Sans shrugged. "alright..." He said. Sans walked back to the family with Flowey in his arms. Toriel greeted them when they walked back into the room. She had prepared a meal.

They all gathered together, Flowey hoping that Sans would eventually come to see that he was trying to be good. Habriel and Marion walked into the room as well. Getting themselves some water.

"Marion and I are gonna try to get that last guy." Habriel said.

"On your own?" Toriel asked. He nodded.   
"Alright. .."

Habriel grabbed a couple bottles of water from the fridge and turned to Marion. "Let's go." Their family waved to them as they departed. They waved back and made their way into the portal again.

"You up to face Elyon?" Habriel asked Marion as they reached the rune by the statue.

"He's tough, and he's quick..." Marion sighed. "But I think we got this." He nodded, taking her hand as they sat down on the rune and closed their eyes to initiate the fight. As soon as they got up in the dream, Habriel immediately flung a violet dagger at Elyon. Not wanting to be taken by surprise again.

It scraped Elyon, bouncing off his body. It caught his attention immediately. "Damn," Habriel muttered. The assassin got up and pulled out his flintlock. He was about shoot the couple, but they made sure to move in zig zags, messing up his aiming.

Elyon tried to follow them but his aim failed him and he missed Habriel's form just barely. He grunted and moved to follow them. A few blood bolts came flying at the man as Habriel got close. The boy drew his violet sword and attacked the assassin. Elyon was too quick and avoided getting slashed and hacked by Habriel's blade. He went for Marion, moving quickly past him.

Marion formed a long blade extending from her forearm as she flung blood bolts at the assassin. Habriel came after him from behind. His lover slashed Elyon across the torso, making him double back.

Habriel slashed him from behind. They were sure they had him down. However, he quickly dashed away with the bottom of his feet glowing. He was hurt badly, clutching his midsection as he ran. The tag team ran after him, swords raised. Soon enough, his sword started glowing. When he slashed his sword at them from a distance, a violet slash came flying through the air at them.

Habriel threw himself and Marion out of its path just as it slammed the ground. Elyon swung his blade again. Producing another magical slash attack. It shot through the air towards them. They rolled across the ground together, avoiding that attack as well. Elyon appeared to be getting tired, with the help of the injury. They quickly got up and rushed towards the injured man.

The warrior stood hunched, and saw them approaching. He attempted to run away. They came at him from different directions. Not letting him get away. With Habriel's sword above his head and Marion's sharpened blood slicing towards him, Elyon hadn't anywhere to go, no opening to escape from. He was immediately punctured from all directions. As he dropped to his knees, his hair started to grow longer.

They noticed instantly, wondering what it meant. They didn't want to step back, as their weapons were still through his body and they wanted to make sure they won. Habriel knew what it was when the bottom portion of the hair turned black. Seraph warned him about this.

"Uh oh," Habriel muttered, catching Marion's attention. Habriel took a deep breath. 'Seraph, you have to take over. I can't take him on, now.'

'Alright...' Seraph nodded his head. Marion watched as Habriel underwent a similar transformation as Elyon.

Seraph wasted no time as he launched a violet tentacle that pierced Elyon's chest and ripped his heart out.

Marion stared. "Wow..."   
They had won. They immediately woke up with all the statues around them. Their eyes glowing. A light shined down upon the book in the middle of the room.

'Let's take it back with us.' Seraph thought as Habriel heard him.


	47. Chapter 47

The pair rose from their spot and Habriel went to take the book he was waiting for. He hid it behind his back, smiling confidently as he walked back into the house.

"How did it go, my child?" Toriel asked. Habriel's smile grew wider as he showed her the book. She put her hands together and smiled widely. "Oh, wonderful!"

"You guys wanna read it now?" Habriel asked. "I can call Seraph."

"Whatever you want, my child," She said cheerily, so glad for them they were able to beat Elyon.

"Alright, I'll call him." Habriel put the book down on the table and asked for Seraph to come by. The specter soon appeared in front of him. Habriel showed him the book.

"The pages are blank!" Habriel gasped.

"The book is magical." Seraph said. "It projects visions and images instead." He held it open, wondering what to do. He looked to Seraph again. "You don't have to do anything." Seraph said as the book started glowing. Habriel's family gathered around behind him. "Are you ready?" Seraph asked.

"Yeah," Habriel nodded.

"The history of the Cathedral begins with the war." Seraph said. "With The Knight of Crows, Karlel. In her battle with your mother, she saw how compassionate Toriel was. The boss monster was willing to do anything for those she cared about, and showed an undying will even in the worst situation. Because of that, Karlel spared her....and became a mother."

Toriel recalled that event clearly. Habriel and Marion glanced at her for a moment.

The book showed images of the fight between Toriel and Karlel. And how the boss monster was spared. It then showed an image of Karlel cradling a baby in her arms. Frisk watched the images in awe. So did their siblings.

"Her son..." Seraph pointed at the image. It was Ballaton. "He became a knight just like her. Discovering demons and their world. He would invade it on numerous occasions, trying to kill as many of them as possible." An image of Ballaton impaling a despair demon was shown. Flowey looked on half-ashamed.

The next image depicted an older Ballaton. "He was one of the few who died of old age." Seraph said. "When he got too old to do it by himself. He created an order of warriors dedicated to fighting those creatures. Trained to use magic and expert weapons training. They became known as the Templars of the Oppressed." Another image depicted many warriors in long white coats fighting demons appeared. As well as a very old Ballaton watching over them. The images faded out for the next to appear on the story.

"Soon enough, they closed off all possible openings between our world, and that of the demons." Seraph said. "By killing any human who would try to contact them. That was after all, how demons first found this world..." An image of a human being burnt at the stake was depicted. Chara and Frisk winced at the sight.

"With no demon to fight anymore, they turned to mages." Seraph said. "Ballaton was long dead by this time. Everything became a witch hunt. They would execute any human who would even think to use their magic. That's why magical humans are a rarity, now. All except for themselves. They would be the only humans they would trust to use it." An image of the Templars bowing to a King was depicted. "They would travel the world in their anti magic crusade..."

"Meanwhile, monsters kept their magic while here, of course," Toriel stated simply under her breath.

"The order couldn't agree on one single goal, so it divided into two sub groups." Seraph said. An image of diagram between the Templars and two spots below were shown. "Half of the order became a mercenary group." Seraph said as an image of the knights accepting gold from kings and nobles appeared. "And the other half became a shelter for the faithful." The image on the other side depicted the knights taking off their armor and throwing on robes.

"Would the shelter be the Cathedral?" Frisk asked in a quiet voice to the specter.

He nodded his head. "They were originally a shelter for those who couldn't take care of themselves. Being one of the only two groups of humans left who practiced magic, legally. However...." The image of the faithful priests changed into the blood thirsty cultists. "Just because it was legal for them to practice magic, doesn't mean that it would always be for beneficial reasons. The shelter existed for centuries and eventually forgot their origins and purpose. A change in leadership sort of affected them. They became the very thing they once swore to destroy..." 

"Who took over that changed it so drastically?" Chara chimed in.

"It wasn't just one leader." Seraph said. "It didn't happen overnight. It was many leaders, one after another. Giving them more freedom to practice all the magic they want. Even dark magic. As for the first one who allowed dark magic." Seraph shrugged. "It's impossible to find out. We'd have to look for one leader out of many others."

"Oh..." the story continued.

"There is one thing I want to point out." Seraph said. "While the shelter does still exist. So does the other group." An image of the mercenaries appeared. "The mercenaries eventually became spoiled in their riches and tired away in a temple they built for themselves. However, they have seen what has become of the Cathedral. The two groups are now at war." Marion and Habriel looked at each other, hopeful. 

"Something however has been messing with the order." Seraph said. "I'm not sure what. But, it's stopped them from attacking the Cathedral. If you want their help, try to figure out what that is. It may gain you a favor."

Skywardsister:

They looked less hopeful. "There always has to be a catch," Flowey grumbled.

"If you want to stop your father..." Seraph muttered as an image of Leo Clemens showed. "You'll want to find the person the order calls the Castigator." An image of a man with long white hair in a white and red coat showed, wearing a leather mask painted in the same colors as the coat. He had violet eyes like Habriel. "He leads them. Find him and talk to him. 

"Any idea who he is?" Habriel asked. Seraph shrugged.

"If you don't know who it is, we don't have great odds here," Marion muttered. 

"Still better than the small handful of you trying to fight them." Seraph said.

"Right..." The book was helpful, but it would do no good when trying to find and confront these figures in real life.

"Are you ready for this?" Seraph asked Habriel. "Do you think you can win?"

"Possibly..." Habriel muttered. "I hope..." Habriel closed the book. He would keep it somewhere safe in the house.

"So, when should we go?" Habriel asked his family as he came back.

"Well, we should plan this out," Marion suggested to him. 

"Alright, what do you wanna do?" Habriel asked. They all sat down in the living room by the fire to plan their strategy. Marion suggested gathering up supplies before venturing up to the surface to find these people since it would most likely take multiple days.

Habriel thought it was a good idea. He figured that they should have canned food and standard camping equipment. 

"And maybe some tech so we can talk to you guys," Frisk piped up. "That way, we know when you need something or are in trouble. Sans could teleport to you."

"Yeah, and Alphys said she was gonna give us small cameras so you can see what's going on." Habriel said. 

"That would be important," Their mother agreed. 

"Is there anything else you guys think we'll need?" Habriel asked. 

"Will the camping equipment include hiking gear? You may be walking a lot, especially to leave Mt. Ebott," Chara added. 

"How much hiking gear will we need?" Habriel asked. 

"Hmm..." She got a piece of paper to write a list of things she thought they would need. It included appropriate boots, clothes long enough to protect their arms and legs, a health kit. 

"Yeah, these all sound great." Habriel said. "But how are we gonna carry them?"

"Well, you guys can wear most of this stuff," She shrugged. "Maybe carry other supplies in a pack."

"Alright, we should keep it light." Habriel said. "If there is a way to do that..."

"Actually, there is..." Frisk said. 

"Huh?" Habriel and Marion turned to them. "How is that?"

"I'm thinking Alphys can figure something out." Frisk said. "If she hasn't already."

Flowey straightened. "What if you took one of those item boxes around the underground? The ones that you could put things inside and get them from another box? If you carried one, maybe that could work?"

"That's what I was thinking." Frisk said. "Maybe one that's made for you to carry." Marion turned to Habriel, asking him what he thought.

"Whatever we can do is fine with me." he shrugged.

Frisk was on their phone. "I'll ask Alphys if she can do that," They muttered. They dialed the number and waited for the monster to pick up.

"Oh!" Alphys gasped when she picked it up. Charabdyss could be heard giggling in the background. "Wh-what' s up, Frisk?"

"Hey," They answered. "Habriel and Marion are gearing up to go to the surface and need some way to carry supplies. You think you could make a portable version of the item drop-boxes around the underground for them to bring along?"

"Oh of course." Alphys said. "I can make it so it shrinks and fits in their pockets. Don't make it too heavy for them, it'll weigh the same if it were still big."

"Oh, okay! Thanks!" They said cheerfully. "Do you know how long that might take?"

"Not long." Alphys said. "But like I said. Don't make the box too heavy, the mass stays the same even if it shrinks."

"Uh huh. Could you call when it's ready?"   
"Sure," Alphys chirped. Frisk thanked her and ended the call.

"How'd it go?" Habriel asked.

"She says she'll do it, and it won't take long," They smiled.

"That's great!" Habriel smiled, excited for her to call them again. 

"Guess we just wait," Chara sighed.

"Wanna do anything to pass the time?" Habriel asked. They were all sitting around, and meanwhile Chara had continued compiling her travel supplies idea list. Habriel and Marion thought about the history of the Cathedral as they sat on the couch.

Toriel and Sans had some time together. The couple in the kitchen exchanged puns while the couple on the couch watched t.v. Flowey stayed by Chara, who wrote on the list, and Frisk watched television.

After a short while, the list was complete. Chara smiled as she felt accomplished. She by now had written different sections for supplies- food and cooking, sleeping, hiking, and weaponry. She got up, ready to show Habriel and Marion the list. She had one last cursory check on it and walked.over, handing it to them, pleased and content.

"Hey guys." Chara approached them with a smile. "I made a list of equipment."

"Thanks!" Habriel smiled.

"Let me know if I missed anything," She smiled and retreated back to her brother in the flower pot by the television. Habriel looked over at the equipment. Happy to see she took their weight into account. She made sure not to make it too heavy for them to carry. She also made it very practical as well.

Most of the things listed were completely necessary. Habriel got up and thanked her again for the list. "Oh, it looks good? Good," She replied. "You're welcome." Habriel hugged her, glad she wanted to help so badly. She smiled. "Glad to help."  
This made Toriel's heart swell; seeing her children help and support each other was reassuring and satisfying. They all became inseparable. Sans was happy for it, too; it was never a bad thing to have a support system.

He remembered back when things seemed like they would never end well. Reliving the same days over and over. Now, so much has changed.

He settled into this new, well-progressed timeline that Frisk promised would not be erased and replaced.

They seemed to have kept their promise. Finally getting the ending they wanted. Something new, and a chance to save Asriel. With the help of Habriel and Marion, it was all possible. The skeleton felt so at ease in comparison to the repeating timelines. He was pacified by their promise, which was genuine.

He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Joy... He was with Toriel, Papyrus had continued cooking lessons with Undyne, everything in his life at least was working out. And on top of that, he became a father.

Toriel was happy to be with Sans. He played a crucial part in her life. It was the same way for Sans. The two of them completed each other. For a while, the family relaxed, awaiting any news of progress with Alphys. After a short while, Alphys called Frisk again.

A small tune chimed from their device and they answered promptly. "Hello?"

"He-hey!" Alphys chirped. "I uh...I completed the machine. This storage box can shrink at the push of a button. And I also got the cameras done."

"Thank you!" Frisk said cheerily. "We'll be right over." They hung up, and announced the machine was fino she'd for them. Habriel got up, excited. Marion smiled at Frisk.

"Want anyone to come with?" They asked eagerly.

"Whomever wants to come with." Habriel said.

They jumped up, leaving the TV on for their siblings. "I can come with!" They grinned.

"Alright, great." Habriel said. "Anyone else?" Chara and Flowey shrugged. Toriel was going to let them go for themselves. Habriel opened the door for Marion and Frisk. "Let's go."

And they left for a boat. Frisk skipped alongside the couple on the way. They hadn't gone on a quest in a while. Habriel shook his head and smiled at the excited child.

They giggled. "What? It's been a while."

"It's nothing." Habriel laughed. When they arrived at the river, Frisk hopped in behind the River person, rocking the boat slightly before Habriel and Marion got in. "Be careful." Habriel said as he got on. "Don't wanna fall into the water."

"What's wrong with the water?" They asked playfully.

"I don't feel like swimming." Habriel shrugged.

"Fair enough," They laughed. The River person groaned quietly and the boat began to move towards the next stop. The Riverperson couldn't wait to let them off as Frisk began to sing. Marion chuckled. They were still so innocent, even with their knowledge of the real world. Habriel smiled at them as Frisk sang the song about rowing boats.

"Tra la la, suddenly wanting to get off my boat," The River person muttered under its breath.

"Life is but a dream!" Frisk shouted. Habriel and Marion were cracking up beneath the din of the young voice as they floated down the river. The Riverperson couldn't let them off fast enough when they arrived. They hopped off the wood boat enthusiastically, their older siblings following behind.

The Riverperson took off at blinding speeds away from them. Marion caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, commeting that it could have been a speedboat. They made their way to the lab, not wanting to keep Alphys waiting. Alphys greeted them at the door and let them inside, showing them her invention instantly.

"Just push the button on this box and it will activate one of two settings." She pushed the button on the box and it was big. "Storage..." She pushed it again and it was small. "and mobile." They marveled at the small device.

"Thank you so much!" Habriel gasped. "Alphys, I already owe you so much, but....oh my God, thank you!"

She chuckled and shook her head. "You're w-welcome. You don't owe me anything, this has been helpful to me too in my scientific advances."

"I owe you and mom everything." Habriel smiled at her.

She smiled. "Habriel, really, you don't owe me anything at all." He still felt grateful for her nonetheless. He offered a hug for her.

She hugged him, grateful to have friends like these. "You're a good person..." Habriel muttered.

"Well so are all of you," She said, touched. 

"I can't ever repay you." Habriel said as he took the storage box.

"That's fine," the scientist insisted. "I decided to do these things for you."

"You're like an older sister to me." Habriel smiled at Alphys.

She smiled warmly. "You guys are my family." Habriel said farewell and his family made their way back to the Ruins. Frisk changed to humming to not annoy the river person anymore on the way back.

Habriel and Marion cuddled on the boat ride. Taking in the view as they sat together. The boat drifted past a few places until they reached their destination. The family thanked the Riverperson as they got off the boat. Heading back home.

They arrived shortly, shaking out snow from the bottoms of their shoes before stepping inside. Habriel greeted his family and showed them the box that could shrink and grow.

"wow, alphys really thought outside the box with that one," Sans punned. Toriel snickered from behind. Happy to see that the doctor was able to help yet again. She already owed Alphys so much for helping them.  
Frisk giggled at Sans's pun. "That was bad," they grinned through their teeth. The skeleton shrugged guiltily.

"Now we just need the actual equipment." Habriel said.

"I'll help you two get those," Toriel stated. "I can buy some things at the local store."

"Alright, great." Habriel said. "When do you wanna do that?"

"Uhh well, we can go buy some of the things now," She shrugged. "But we won't have time to get it all."

"Alright, if you wanna go now, let's go." Habriel made his way back to the door. His mother rose from her armchair and headed out behind him and Marion. This time, they went to the city in the Ruins. Going to the market there. Habriel clutched the list Chara wrote in his hand as they walked through the city streets.

On their way to the market, a tall female monster with the head of a fox squealed at the sight of the family.

"You're the ones who saved me!" She gasped. Toriel looked confusedly at her children.

"You don't remember?" The monster asked. "I was strapped to a table with that infernal jester. You tackled him." She pointed at Habriel. "And you freed me!" She pointed at Toriel. "I...I...I have no idea where I would be right now, if it weren't for you two." Habriel changed from confused to a smile. The fox monster hugged Habriel tightly. "God, I'm so sorry."

"You're fine." Habriel waved it off. Toriel smiled at the sight.  
She was glad for the monster. She went over and hugged Toriel as well, excited.

"We're glad you're okay," Toriel said warmly to her.

"Thank you so much!" The girl said. "Where are you all heading? Maybe, I can help!"

"Oh, just to buy some things," Toriel said casually. "Some gear for the outdoors."

"Oh!" The fox monster gasped. "I own a shop nearby! I'm sure I have what you need!"

"Oh," Marion lit up. She looked at Habriel. "We should check it out." They both got excited and followed her back to her shop. They wondered what kinds of wares the monster sold, and how many of them would be helpful.

"I have a general store." The fox explained. "I'm sure we can find something." They walked down a block and turned onto a side street, entering a small, homey shop. "We got food, sleeping bags and other things." The fox smiled. "It's on the house for you guys."

Toriel's eyes were like dinnerplates. "What? No, no, we can pay," She said quickly.

"It's fine." The fox smiled. "You guys are my heroes." They all were bewildered and looked around the store for the supplies on the list. "Just don't take everything, of course." The fox chirped.

Habriel chuckled and nodded. They looked around and found canned food and sleeping bags. As well as some clothes. Marion held up two pairs of waterproof, nature ready boots to Habriel and Toriel. Habriel held up some clothes for them to change into. Just in case if they had to swim in cold water.

Their mother came over with two sleeping bags in her arms. They seemed to have found most of what they were looking for. They made their way out the store. "Stay safe!" The owner called.

"Thanks, you too!" They called back as they made their way out. They were more than happy when they came back home. Habriel ceremoniously handed Chara her list, every item crossed off. She stared at it, then him, shocked.

"We got 'em!" Habriel smiled at her.

"That... was fast. How much did it all cost? Probably a small fortune..." She mumbled.

"Nope, got it for free." Habriel said. "Turns out, we saved the owner's life. So she let us take these for free."

She, Frisk, and Flowey stated at the three of them. "Well.... what a bargain," Frisk said.

"Yup, and I think that's everything for now..." He shrugged.

"That's pretty good," Flowey muttered, impressed by how quickly they were able to get everything. 

"Yup." Habriel pulled out the box and made it big. "Let's get packing." Marion helped store the clothes, boots, sleeping bags.

"That looks like everything." Habriel said as he closed the box. "Anything else we need to do?"

"Maybe you should stay here until tomorrow," Toriel suggested hopefully.

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Habriel said as he sat down on the couch. Marion happily agreed, not wanting to leave so quickly. It would be a good opportunity for them to mentally prepare to go.

She sat beside him. "We should make a game plan for when we go up there," She said. 

"Alright, how do you wanna play this out?' he asked.

"Maybe we should bring the book with us when we go," She stated. "It could help us find what we're searching for."

"You think it has a map?" Habriel asked.

"Dunno..." Frisk and their siblings watched t.v. for a while before dinner.

"We also have Seraph." Habriel said. "At least when he wants to help."

"Right. Maybe he can help us find where to go or who to find."

"Exactly, not to mention, he already knows what's in the book." Habriel said.

Marion shrugged and squinted. "We... we'll need the book for when he doesn't cooperate."

"Right, I should have thought about that." Habriel sighed and laid back.

"He ain't a very reliable source," She sighed and laid back beside him. "We gotta be ready for every situation."

"Yeah, let's hope you're right about the book." Habriel said. Chara hoped their trip on the surface would end up successful.

"One thing I'm worried about is the war between the order and the Cathedral." Habriel said. "I hope we can trust the other guys..."

"Yeah," She was turned towards him. "Imagine finding out they were just as bad the whole time. A nightmare."

"Yeah, and we would have just put ourselves between two bad organizations." Habriel shook his head. "We wouldn't stand a chance..."

"We could contact home, " Marion recalled. "They would know what's going on."

"Yeah, we would get out of there..." Habriel said. "But we would have to deal with twice the trouble from then on...” They both sighed. The possibilities were innumerable, and they didn't want to think about them all. Habriel started to sweat, seeming pretty nervous. He wondered if they could actually do this. If they could actually win. He was scared to think of what could happen if they lost. 

His lover noticed his apprehension. "Hey," She put her hand on his shoulder. "You're not going it alone, and we'll have additonal help."

"I know...I'm still nervous, though..." he looked down at the ground. "This will be the most dangerous thing we ever do..." She put her hand in his and nuzzled against him.

Habriel appreciated the comfort, but it couldn't shake his feelings. "Heck, Sans can teleport to us instantly," She reminded him.

"Yeah..." Habriel took a couple deep breaths to try to calm himself down. Marion felt the swell and lower of his chest, could hear his heartbeat. It was beating just a little faster than it should. He was a little stressed. She tried all she could to relax him. She just wanted him to feel okay. She tried hugging him and nuzzling him, he still seemed rather stressed. 

"Hey, we'll be there together, I promise you won't be alone."

"I know..." Habriel muttered. 

"We'll be fine," She murmured. He smiled sadly at her. Finally, she pulled him into a kiss.


End file.
